Nguyễn Huy Hoàng hopes to represent Việt Nam in the 1,500m freestyle at the Paris Olympics. — VNA/VNS Photo

Olympics

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has only five athletes qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, far short of the 12-15 target set, but there are still more places up for grabs.

According to the Sports Authority of Việt Nam, the five athletes already heading to France are Nguyễn Thị Thật (cycling), Trịnh Thu Vinh, Lê Thị Mộng Tuyền (shooting), Nguyễn Huy Hoàng (swimming) and Võ Thị Kim Ánh (boxing).

From now until June, the 2024 Paris Olympics places are still available in athletics, boxing, badminton, weightlifting, fencing and rowing.

After securing a ticket to Paris in the men's 800m freestyle event, swimmer Hoàng is still pursuing two goals simultaneously: preparing professionally to achieve the best results in the Olympics and earning another slot in the 1,500m freestyle. In April, Hoàng will compete in the Paris Olympic qualifying round in Thailand, which is the final tournament to vie for places in this category. In May, he will travel to Hungary for training before moving on to France to compete.

Meanwhile, Việt Nam's top female cyclist, Thật, has recently departed for Switzerland to train. Continuing to represent Roland, a European professional cycling team competing in major tournaments within the International Cycling Union system, she has a good opportunity to hone her skills ahead of the Olympics. Alongside her training schedule with Roland, Thật will also represent the Vietnamese women's cycling team at the Tour of Thailand in April and the Asian Championship in June.

In the 2012 London Olympics, Việt Nam won one bronze medal. Four years later, at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Vietnamese athletes brought home one gold medal and one silver medal. However, in 2020, at the Tokyo Olympics, Việt Nam finished empty handed.

To achieve the goal of securing 12-15 Olympic spots in 2024, the Vietnamese sports industry has implemented specific and appropriate solutions. Based on athletes' performances in international tournaments, the Sports Authority of Việt Nam and coaching staff have made accurate assessments of their strengths, competitive abilities and particularly their rivals in each category.

Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, the director of the Hà Nội - based National Sports Training Centre, stated that the centre currently accommodates 34 senior teams and youth teams.

"The athletes are provided with excellent facilities, effective medical examinations, treatment, and health recovery programmes," Hùng said.

"All teams are actively training and preparing for the Olympic qualifying tournaments."

The remuneration system for athletes has also been improved, with key investments in nutrition, recovery and medical care during training and competitions. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Hoàng Đạo Cương, has also signed a decision to implement a special nutritional regimen for coaches and athletes of national sports teams preparing for the Olympic qualifiers.

Athlete Quách Thị Lan said: "Our current meals ensure the nutritional requirements during intense training. At each meal, athletes are served seven main dishes, usually with different options for each meal."

Meanwhile, shooters Vinh and Tuyền, who have secured spots at the 2024 Paris Olympics, have expressed their commitment to intensive training, improving their performances and striving for the highest results. VNS