SABECO handed more than US$215,000 to the Việt Nam Administration of Sports. Photo courtesy of SABECO

HÀ NỘI — 50 talented athletes have been granted support from Bia Saigon, a leading brand owned by SABECO, to compete on the path to Asiad 2023 and the 2024 Olympics.

Saigon Beer - Alcohol - Beverage Corporation (SABECO) on Thursday awarded VNĐ5 billion (over US$215,000) to Việt Nam Administration of Sports (VSA) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) to support national athletes who are undergoing training for 2023 Asian Games and 2024 Summer Olympics. The programme “Việt Nam Wins Gold,” was launched by the MoCST in collaboration with SABECO in May 2022 during SEA Games 31 with the aim to bring out the best of Việt Nam’s sports at the international level.

Part of the fund will serve as monthly financial support to the athletes, costs related to entry into international competitions, and purchasing of sport equipment for Archery and Badminton athletes. Fifty selected talented athletes will receive monthly financial support and funds for purchasing sports equipment for Archery and Badminton athletes.

Speaking at the event, Hoàng Đạo Cương, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “Present here are the most elite, outstanding, and exemplary athletes of Việt Nam. The sky is your limit, and your future abounds with opportunities as well as challenges. I hope that you can keep up the strong spirit and determination to compete for the colours of Việt Nam to achieve even greater results that will make concrete contributions to Việt Nam’s sports.”

Venus Teoh Kim Wei, Deputy General Director of SABECO, said: “Bia Saigon is a brand that has been a loyal supporter of Vietnamese sports, we are proud to play a role in supporting the training and development of our athletes with the aim to help increase Việt Nam’s position at international sports competitions. Through our recent Bia Saigon’s “Việt Nam Wins Gold”, a joint initiative with MoCST, SABECO aims to reaffirm our commitments to sustainable strategy to bring out the best of Việt Nam in sports, culture, as well as tourism.”

Nguyễn Thị Oanh, who has been named one of the stars of the SEA Games 31 after making a gold hat trick just two days into the competition said that: “This funding is really helping my journey both materially and mentally to lighten the upcoming competition.”

On May 13, 2022, MoCST and SABECO signed a 3-year cooperation framework, focusing on 3 key areas: Culture, Tourism and Sports. The two parties have been implementing a series of comprehensive activities in 2022 to elevate national sports and establish Việt Nam's tourism brand as an attractive cultural and culinary destination for both domestic and international visitors.

SABECO has been a dedicated supporter of the development of Vietnamese sports as part of its sustainable commitment in Việt Nam. Recently SABECO through its leading brand Bia Saigon was the Diamond sponsor for SEA Games 31, Top-Star Sponsor for Việt Nam National Football Teams and the main sponsor of Việt Nam Premier League (VPL-S3) or Bia Saigon Cup 2022 and Golden sponsor for Press Cup 2022, SABECO has also contributed VNĐ6 billion for Doping Control Initiatives during SEA GAMES 31. As part of the strategic partnership with MoCST to further foster the development of Culture, Tourism and Sports, SABECO will accompany MoCST to roll out significant upcoming national events such as the Culinary Festival in Quảng Trị and Việt Nam Cultural Week in South Korea. VNS