Vietnamese athletes suffer from jet lag in Brazil

The Paralympic Athletes' Village is built in the suburb of Barra da Tijuca, completely separate from the hustle and bustle of Rio de Janeiro.

For security reasons and to create the best resting conditions for the athletes, the village has very strict regulations, and it is not easy to enter and exit even though we have a press card. Only athletes and coaches are allowed to enter the gym. Even leaders of delegations or volunteers (who have no duties in the gym) are invited to... stand outside the door.

The Vietnamese delegation was arranged on the second floor of a building in the village, opposite the physiotherapy center and gym. Mr. Pham Ngoc Son - Vice President of the Vietnam Paralympic Association - said: "This location is very convenient because almost all disabled athletes need health care. If it is too far, the athletes, who have difficulty traveling, will be afraid to go, affecting the competition."

Each room has four athletes and consists of two large rooms and each room has two single beds. Athlete Le Van Cong said: “Living conditions in the village are very good, the beds are comfortable, there is air conditioning, WiFi... and free drinks and fruit in the lobby”.

The Vietnamese swimming team at a training pool in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: HAI LINH

The biggest difficulty for Vietnamese disabled athletes is adapting to the time zone (Brazil is 10 hours behind Vietnam) even though they have had 5 days to get used to it. The swimming team is the most affected as athletes Vo Thanh Tung, Nguyen Thanh Trung and Do Thanh Hai are still not used to the new time zone. Having to swim at the time they should be sleeping and sleeping at the time they should be swimming (according to the habit in Vietnam) has made it impossible for them to complete their exercises.

Swimmer Nguyen Thanh Trung shared: “We went into the water like drunk people and could barely complete the coach’s exercises. At night, we only slept until 1am or 2am and then stayed awake waiting for the morning. But having competed in many international tournaments, I believe we will be fine in a few days.”

From the coach's perspective, Mr. Dong Quoc Cuong said: "The time difference and the food not to our taste are factors that affect training and competition. But what is difficult for us is also difficult for others, so that is not a reason to complain. The swimming team is still confident in striving for at least 3 medals."

Medal hopeful Le Van Cong said: “I am still not in the best shape but I will try. Apart from training, the entire weightlifting team hardly leaves the room just to... catch up on sleep after a night of being awake.” With easy-going tastes, the Vietnamese athletes do not have much difficulty eating, although Brazilian food does not suit Vietnamese tastes. Cong said that he and his teammates have also “prepared” pork floss, instant noodles, fish sauce... enough to last 20 days.

According to TTO