Since 2019, ASEAN and FIFA have implemented a series of initiatives to promote the development of football across the region. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The third session of the 16th ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting on Sports (SOMS 16) has reached a consensus on the ASEAN sports cooperation strategy for 2026-30.

The new framework prioritises community sports, school sports, women’s sports, and sports for people with disabilities, while also promoting digital transformation and the application of science and technology to sports management and coaching.

It also aims to strengthen collaboration with external partners such as Japan, South Korea, China, and international organisations.

Nguyễn Hồng Minh, deputy director of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam, on October 14 emphasised that cooperation among ASEAN countries and with international partners like the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and other global organisations contributes not only to improving sports capacity across the region but also to promoting the shared values of health, honesty, and solidarity, in line with ASEAN’s spirit of One Vision, One Identity, One Community.

Throughout the sessions, delegates discussed various cooperation initiatives with Japan, South Korea and China, particularly in women’s sports, disability sports, physical education, coach training, and the preservation of traditional sports. These initiatives are expected to strengthen ASEAN’s position on the global sports stage.

Minh expressed gratitude to ASEAN delegations and international organisations for their strong sense of cooperation, commitment, and responsibility.

He voiced confidence that with collective will and determination, ASEAN sports collaboration will continue to achieve new successes, contributing to a more cohesive, prosperous, and sustainable ASEAN Community.

Earlier on the day, participants heard presentations from representatives of FIFA and WADA. There were also reports from ASEAN-affiliated and partner sports bodies such as the ASEAN Chess Confederation (ACC), ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA).

On October 15, SOMS 16 continues with bilateral sessions between senior sports officials of ASEAN and partners from Japan and China to discuss future cooperation policies in sports development across the ASEAN region.

In 2025, under the rotation mechanism, Việt Nam officially assumed the role of host of the SOMS 16, the eighth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Sports (AMMS 8), and related meetings, including the fifth AMMS + Japan and the second AMMS + China, scheduled to take place ahead of the AMMS 8. VNA/VNS