Việt Nam Sport Administration Deputy Director Lê Thị Hoàng Yến (right) and Hungarian Olympic Committee General Secretary Fabian Laszló (second, right) and two countries' sport experts visit the Hà Nội Sport Training Centre on October 22. — Photos of VSA

HÀ NỘI — Sport leaders from Việt Nam and Hungary expect to strengthen their cooperation and lift their relationship to a new level in the near future.

This plan was discussed between Việt Nam Sport Administration (VSA) Deputy Director Lê Thị Hoàng Yến and Hungarian Olympic Committee General Secretary Fabian Laszló, on October 22.

At the meeting, Laszló praised the relationship between Việt Nam and Hungary in the last 70 years. Meanwhile, in the current decade, the relationship has been strengthened and pushed up through sports cooperation.

Laszló said although Hungary was not a big country, the government pays lot of attention and strongly supports elite and amateur sport.

This can be seen through Hungary's No. 12 ranking in the Olympics. There are many facilities for sports training for normal citizens while professional athletes are provided with modern equipment.

The Hungarian government also appreciates biomedical science in sports and applies modern technologies to improve athletes' fitness and results.

Hungarian sports has had hundreds of Olympic champions and winners of international championships.

Based on the country's advanced facilities and an agreement of the government, General Secretary Laszló proposed a plan to help Vietnamese sports experts and scientists study and exchange knowledge of biomedical science and sport training.

Hungarian Olympic Committee General Secretary Fabian Laszló tests a gun at the Hà Nội's National Sport Training Centre's shooting range on October 22 where Vietnamese marksmen are practising.

Laszló led a Hungarian delegates to visit the Hà Nội's National Sport Training Centre where they met with members of the national shooting and athletic squads.

He appreciated the VSA's strong investment in shooting and congratulated the athletic team's success in recent international and regional competitions.

Laszlo, the 1988 Summer Olympic pentathlon champion, asked athletes to try their best to achieve their target and success would come sooner or later.

He said it was his first time in Việt Nam but found the people friendly. 

Việt Nam has strongly developed in different fields in which sports, especially elite sports, has developed quickly.

And it was time for the two countries to lift their sports cooperation to a new height.

VSA Deputy Director Yến recognised and highly appreciated the proposal and suggestions from the Hungarian Olympic Committee delegation.

She said Hungary had a long history of international achievements, and had advanced training equipment and developed biomedical science in sports. Yến hoped to send more athletes to Hungary for intensive training programmes.

Hungarian Olympic Committee General Secretary Fabian Laszló and his delegates meet with the national athletic team at the Hà Nội's National Sport Training Centre.

The connection between two sides has been marked with milestones. In April 2013, a cooperation agreement on sports training was signed between the two national Olympic committees.

In September 2013, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a cooperation memorandum with the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources. Under the agreement, the Hungarian Olympic Committee hosted Việt Nam's sport teams to prepare for their international competitions and provided nutrition support to Việt Nam.

Through the years, many sport teams such as gymnastics, U23 football, swimming and weightlifting have gone to Hungary for training.

Hungary is a strong sports hub in the world. Among countries who have never hosted a Olympics, Hungary has earned the highest number of Olympic medals at 496.

Hungary ranks fifth in the world in terms of the number of Olympic gold medals per capita (1 gold medal per 1.2 million inhabitants) and 10th in the world in the number of Olympic medals per capita (1 medal per nearly 600,000 inhabitants).

Hungary excels at school sports and sports for all people. The country has a system of machines and experts who closely monitor and evaluate students' physical fitness.

Hungarian strongest sports are fencing, canoeing, gymnastics, weightlifting, swimming and wrestling. — VNS