ASEAN SCHOOLS GAMES

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Thị Kim Chi speaks at the 13th ASG Announcement Ceremony on May 22 in Hà Nội. Photos of organisers

HÀ NỘI -- The 13th ASEAN Schools Games (ASG), a competition where students gather together to shine, has been officially announced during a ceremony on May 22 in Hà Nội.

The Games will take place from May 29 to June 9, in the beach city of Đà Nẵng. It will feature over 1,300 athletes and coaches from the sports delegations of 10 regional countries.

Athletes will compete in 107 events of six sports of swimming, athletics, badminton, basketball, pencak silat, and vovinam.

"The ASEAN Schools Games is the largest school sports event in Southeast Asia, receiving great attention from the governments and people of ASEAN countries," said Nguyễn Thị Kim Chi, deputy minister of the Việt Nam Ministry of Education and Training.

"Organising the ASG is both a right, an obligation and a responsibility of member countries, and is an opportunity to comprehensively evaluate the current state of physical education and school sports of countries in the region.

"It will contribute to the development of education and sports while it has great political, cultural, social, diplomatic and tourism significance, strengthening solidarity, friendship and understanding between the people of Việt Nam and ASEAN.

"It will help promote and introduce Việt Nam's cultural values ​​to other countries, the image of Việt Nam as safe, friendly, gentle, hospitable, integrated and developed country," said Chi, head of the organising board.

With the slogan "Connect to shine bright", the 13th ASG not only celebrates sporting talents but also emphasides the connection among ASEAN students, fostering unity for a young generation of Southeast Asia that integrates and develops.

The mascot of the Games is the red-shanked douc langur, a rare animal listed in Việt Nam's Red Book and classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “Endangered”. Through this mascot, the Đà Nẵng ASG conveys a message of environmental protection, encourages each student and the community at large to pay attention to important planetary issues.

Vietnamese student-athletes present the official uniform of the hosts at the ceremony.

As the host city, Đà Nẵng has prepared thoroughly for the event.

"We have invested funds to construct, repair, and upgrade competition facilities. We have formulated plans to ensure security and order, traffic safety, and food safety; selected and trained volunteers to support the sports delegations," said Mai Tấn Linh, deputy director of Đà Nẵng Education and Training Department.

"We have done on the programmes and scripts for the opening and closing ceremonies and coordinated with neighbour provinces to introduce tourism tours to the sports delegations.

"We hope that through this event, all teams will be happy with the competition conditions, accommodation, organisation, and will experience the warmth and hospitality of the people of Đà Nẵng, as well as the natural beauty and unique culture of our city."

Linh added that Đà Nẵng would confirm it is not only an ideal place for hosting sports events but also a perfect destination for tourism, cultural experiences, and major events at regional and international levels.

First held in 2009, the ASEAN Schools Games is the largest sporting event for high school students in the ASEAN. It promotes solidarity among ASEAN countries through school sports activities, creates opportunities for athletes to compete and share experiences, improves the overall quality of physical education and sportsmanship.

The Games is strongly supported by TH Group's TH True Yogurt.

Attending the event, Arghya Mandal, CEO of TH Milk Joint Stock Company, said: "As the diamond sponsor for the ASG 2024, we would like to join hand with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and other agencies to successfully organise this event, contributing to promote the national image and people of Việt Nam.

"We also would like to introduce to Southeast Asian students Việt Nam’s different movements involving physical education, school sports, and school health; facilitate young people in the region to participate in significant activities with great solidarity for the future generation of Southeast Asia featured with integration and development." VNS