Basketball

Ba Đình Basketball Club players training on September 6. They will compete in the first-ever semi-pro Hà Nội Basketball Championship on September 21-October 2. — Photo courtesy of Ba Đình Basketball Club

HÀ NỘI — The 2022 Hà Nội Basketball Championship (HBC) will tip-off on September 21 with 12 clubs competing for the men's and women's trophies.

It will be the first-ever semi-pro basketball tournament, themed 'Beyond the Game', in Việt Nam with more than VNĐ150 million (US$6,300) up for grabs.

The HBC 2022 is co-organised by the Việt Nam Basketball Federation, Việt Nam Cable Television (VTVcab), and New Sports Company.

Four women's teams will compete in a round-robin format to find out the winner at the Thanh Trì Gymnasium.

Meanwhile, eight men's squads will be divided into two groups and take part in a round-robin competition; the two strongest ones of each group will advance to the next stage. 

The men's teams include Hidden Dragons, The Zoo, Dwarf, Scorpius, Ba Đình, and Hà Nội Team.

There will have at least two matches organised every day from 6pm. The final is scheduled for October 2. All matches are free for supporters.  

To increase the quality of the tournament, each club is allowed to register an unlimited number of overseas Vietnamese players and two foreigners who are living and working in Việt Nam. However, only one foreigner is allowed to play on the court.

For the first time, dancers of the Street Dance Việt Nam television show will be invited to cheer up the game.

Those who cannot come to support and join the dances in person can watch live on VTVcab platforms such as ON Sports channel, ON and ON Sports TV apps, ON Sports facebook, and Youtube ON Bóng rổ.

“Although it is our first time, we expect the tournament will be an annual event not only in Hà Nội but also in other cities and provinces," said Tô Duy, head of the organising board.

"We have invited the best and long-time clubs in the city to compete for a huge bonus. We want to commercialise the event to push clubs to become pro ones.

"We also plan to add entertainment activities through the competition so hip hop dance and dancers from the Street Dance Việt Nam are invited to make HBC more attractive," he said.

A press conference announcing the first HBC in Hà Nội on September 15. — Photo courtesy of HBC organising board.

Organisers believe this decision will help local amateur players sharpen their technique and skills and learn from their pro colleagues. Scouts of the Việt Nam Basketball Association teams will also be seeking out talents to improve their line-up for the coming seasons.

The organisers also hope that HBC 2022 will promote the basketball movement in the city and Việt Nam in general, and encourage fitness and exercise in Việt Nam.

The success of the first championship will be a strong push for organisers to carry out events in other localities and to further the national championship, and the bonus will be bigger in the next season.  VNS