Athletics

President Hoàng Vệ Dũng will take lead of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation for the next four years. Photo tienphong.vn

HÀ NỘI — Re-elected President Hoàng Vệ Dũng and his Executive Committee promised to push national athletics to achieve even great results after the eighth congress of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation (VAF) on April 25 in Hà Nội.

Dũng will stay in the top job in the Federation for the term of 2025-2029, following a vote. He will be supported by three deputies Nguyễn Trung Hinh, Nguyễn Đại Dương and Phạm Thế Triều, while Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng is the General Secretary.

The Executive Committee includes 19 members, four fewer than the previous term.

President Dũng said the 2019-24 term marked a step of stable development and many outstanding achievements of Vietnamese athletics in the context of being deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delegates vote at the VAF's eighth congress on April 25 in Hà Nội.

Even so Vietnamese athletes achieved some remarkable results from major international events such as the SEA Games, the Asian Games, the Youth Games and the Asian championships. Vietnamese athletes also took part in the Olympics, world championships and Grand Prixs.

In the ASEAN arena, Việt Nam took the top position in the 2019 and 2021 SEA Games and came second in the 2023 SEA Games. 

Competing at the Asian level, athletes brought home one gold and two silvers.

Competitors also set more than 20 national records and many of them, such as long jumper Bùi Thị Thu Thảo, runners Nguyễn Thị Huyền, Lê Tú Chinh and Nguyễn Thị Oanh and their coaches, were recognised as outstanding athletes and coaches of the years.

However national athletics still face with challenges such as poor facilities and a shortage of high quality coaches and experts. There remains a large skill level gap between Việt Nam and Asia and the world levels.

Taking charge of the Federation for the second term, Dũng believes that the next step is to guide his athletes to enter a breakthrough period with ambitious goals.

Vietnamese runners win a gold in the 2024 Asian Relay Championships. Photo webthethao.vn

He says the Federation will focus on supporting and developing young talent and advance potential athletes to meet regional and international standards. VAF is already looking ahead, with strong preparation for participation and high achievements at the 2028 Olympics, the 2026 Asian Games and the 33rd SEA Games this year, the next in 2027, and the 35th SEA Games in 2029.

According to General Secretary Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, the highest goal is a gold medal at the Asian Games. The Federation hopes to see a Vietnamese athlete on top podium in the Games in 2030 and bringing home two titles in the 2034 editions.

In addition, the Federation will also organise regular training courses for the national teams every year. All efforts will be made to maintain standings and make improvements to the achievements in Việt Nam's strongest sports, including long jump, and short and medium-distance runs.

The VAF will promote the application of science, technology and innovative sports medicine in scouting, training, injury treatment and prevention.

Other tasks will be to enhance international cooperation, sign contracts with experts to improve the quality of training, and promote the positive image of Vietnamese athletics internationally. VNS