Athletes compete at the National Kickboxing Championship last year. Currently, the southern region has a thriving kickboxing movement with every single locality now actively developing the sport. — Photo baobariavungtau.com.vn

Kickboxing

HCM CITY — Athletes from 22 provinces and cities, including 12 Mekong Delta provinces, will be competing at the Southern Youth Kickboxing Championship, scheduled to take place on June 16 at the National Sports Training Centre in HCM City.

This is the first time for this tournament, which has been organised to further encourage the development of the kickboxing movement, particularly in the southern provinces and cities.

The South already has a thriving kickboxing community, with every locality developing the sport, but it still has potential to grow.

Teams have been training hard, so the tournament promises fierce matches from highly dedicated fighters, showing their physical strength, stature and love for martial arts in Việt Nam.

The tournament will also look to discover young talented fighters who could win a place on the national teams, ready for international events.

"Currently, the event's organising committee has mobilised all funding to hold the tournament from businesses and sponsors who love this sport across the country," Nguyễn Hồ Sĩ, vice president of the Việt Nam Kickboxing Federation said.

The event, co-organised by the Việt Nam Kickboxing Federation and HCM City National Sports Training Centre, will last until June 22.

Kickboxing was introduced to Việt Nam in 2009, when it was included in the official competition system of the indoor Asian Games. Since then, it has grown rapidly in popularity and now the kickboxing movement is thriving, with clubs in nearly 40 provinces and cities.

Many localities have focused on investing in a training path to build professional kickboxing athletes with Hà Nội, Bình Định and HCM City, leading the way. — VNS