Vice-president of the International Gymnastics Federation, Nellie Kim (left) and her co-worker Artur Akopyan seen in a training course for Vietnamese gymnasts. — Photo thethaovietnam.vn

HÀ NỘI — Vice-president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), Nellie Kim of Belarus, has finished her course for Vietnamese coaches, gymnasts and referees in Hà Nội.

Nellie Kim is a five-time Olympic gold medallist and is currently an ambassador of the FIG.

“I highly appreciated what the Việt Nam Gymnastics Federation (VGF) has done in the past. Many Vietnamese gymnasts won medals at world championships and earned tickets to compete in the Summer Olympics,” said Kim.

However, according to Kim, Việt Nam’s gymnastics needs to improve to gain more results.

“Sharing knowledge, experience and encouraging young players to get higher achievements is very important. As a five-time Olympic champion as well as a coach, referee and manager, I think I can contribute a little bit to the development of Việt Nam’s gymnastics,” Kim added.

Kim came to Việt Nam in 2002 under the invitation of the VGF to train international referees to prepare for the Southeast Asian Games 22 held in Việt Nam in 2003.

Vice-president and general secretary of the VGF Nguyễn Kim Lan said the three-day training course by Kim, which concluded on Sunday, was a good chance to develop gymnastics in Việt Nam. Kim’s training contributed to raise the quality, techniques and psychology of Vietnamese gymnasts approaching international level. — VNS