Swimming

Bãi Dài Beach in Cam Ranh City, Khánh Hoà Provnce, will host the 24th edition of the world Oceanman event in April. Photo vivoproperty.vn

KHÁNH HOÀ - The Arena Oceanman Cam Ranh Việt Nam 2023, the country's first international open water swimming event, is set to take place in Khánh Hoà from April 14-16, as the province celebrates its 370th anniversary.

The event will include three categories of swimming: Sprint 2km, Oceanman 5km, and Oceanteams 10km, as well as a relay event of 3x800m at Bãi Dài Beach in Cam Ranh City.

In addition, the tournament will feature an Oceankids 800m lane for children and a stand-up paddle (SUP) tournament during the Oceanman.

According to Nguyễn Tuấn Thanh, deputy director of the provincial Culture and Sports Department, the event will be a first for Khánh Hoà and is hoped to attract both local residents and tourists nationwide.

"If the first edition is successful, Khánh Hoà will make it a key annual competition so that the province's beautiful images of the sea and islands will be spread widely," he said.

Thanh also noted that Cam Ranh was selected for the tournament due to its great potential.

The director of the tournament, Đỗ Huỳnh Khánh Duy, said that the open water swim would encourage positive lifestyles and improve swimming and survival skills.

The Oceanman series, which began in 2015 and has since been held in 23 countries, is the world's largest open-water swim.

This year, Việt Nam has been chosen as the host for the first time, with around 850 local and international athletes from 30 countries expected to take part.

Organisers of the Arena Oceanman Cam Ranh Việt Nam 2023 take part in a Q&A session at the event's press conference on February 15 in Cam Ranh. Photo of organisers

Organisers have noted that the different categories of the Arena Oceanman Cam Ranh Việt Nam 2023 are designed to meet the demands of all competitors.

The competition venue, located just 3km from the International Cam Ranh Airport and about 25km from the popular beach city of Nha Trang, is easily accessible.

Athletes with the best results will have the opportunity to compete in the Oceanman World Final Championship in Phuket, Thailand from November 30 to December 3, where they will compete with about 50 of the best open water swimmers for a bonus prize of 25,000 euros (US$26,700).

Vietnamese swimmers have previously achieved success in the Oceanman competition, with Duy Lương winning silver in the Oceanman 10km at the Langkawi Malaysia 2017 and Krabi Thailand in 2018, while Nguyễn Thu Trang finished third in the 5km event in Krabi Thailand in 2020.

Athletes who wish to register or find more information about the swim can visit the official link at Oceanmanswim.com/camranh-vietnam/. VNS