Paralympics 

IPC President Andrew Parsons (fifth from left) shakes hands with VPC President Huỳnh Vĩnh Ái during his working trip to Việt Nam on May 15. — Photos courtesy of VPC

HÀ NỘI — International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons promised to support Việt Nam to develop parasports and help people with disabilities better integrate into the community.

Parsons and his delegation made a visit to Việt Nam and had a working session with the local Paralympic Committee (VPC) on May 15 in Hà Nội.

Reporting on the current situation of sports for Vietnamese people with disabilities, VPC President Huỳnh Vĩnh Ái said: “Việt Nam has many people with disabilities and those who suffer post-war sequelae. More than six million people with disabilities (accounting for 6.11 per cent of the country's population) have been left with a heavy burden, facing difficulties in society.

"Sports activities mean they will have better health, stronger determination, courage and confidence to integrate into society and assert themselves in life. The Việt Nam Sports Organisation for People with Disabilities was established to help them.”

The Organisation, established in 1995, was later renamed the Việt Nam Paralympic Committee.

Over the past 30 years, VPC has partnered up to promote the physical education and sports movement for people with disabilities, which has developed strongly in many localities.

Forty-five out of 63 provinces and cities now have a flourishing movement, up to 35 provinces and cities regularly have a total of 1,300 athletes participating in annual tournaments, while the number of people with disabilities participating in physical education and sports activities is over 25,000. 

Officials of the VPC and IPC during their working session on May 15 in Hà Nội.

Vietnamese athletes with disabilities have earned remarkable achievements in regional and continental games and the Paralympics.

Notably, in the Rio De Janeiro Games in 2016, Việt Nam para athletes successfully brought back one gold, one silver and two bronze medals, placing the nation at number 55 out of 162 delegations - its best ever results in history.

President Ái also revealed difficulties and challenges that Vietnamese athletes with disabilities were facing, with plans to develop national parasports.

At the meeting, the Vietnamese side made a number of proposals and recommendations to IPC President Parsons, asking for support in the fields of facilities, sports equipment and tools to develop community sports. The Vietnamese committee asked the IPC to provide operating costs to maintain its working apparatus and support the local Paralympic movement.

For the upcoming events, IPC was asked to help Vietnamese athletes take part in international tournaments to secure enough points to qualify and compete in the 2028 Paralympics in the US. There was also a request for internationally doctors training programmes to be given to Vietnamese candidates so that they would better serve domestic injuries.

In his response, the President said: “I am very happy to visit Việt Nam for the first time. Your country is wonderful.

"In the world today, 15 per cent of people have disabilities. Our goal is to support member organisations so that they can support their athletes and organise tournaments. Each Paralympics or ASAIN Paragames is a great opportunity and a strong push for athletes to change their lives and integrate into the community."

Working with President Ái he said he understood the physical education and sports activities of people with disabilities in Việt Nam and saw the difficulties they face.

He said moving ahead, through his assistants, he would try to best support Vietnamese people with disabilities to access and integrate to the society through sports.

Regarding the Paralympic movement development through projects, Vietnam needed to make the proposal directly to the Asia-Pacific regional manager. Meanwhile as for the issue of disability classification, which was one of the most difficult tasks, Vietnamese officials could do it domestically.

IPC President Parsons later paid a courtesy visit to the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. — VNS