The Mỹ Đình National Stadium will be upgraded with VNĐ45billion spent ready for the opening ceremony of the SEA Games 31 in November next year. – Photo weball.vn

HÀ NỘI – Athletes will compete in up to 40 different sports when Việt Nam hosts the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games in Hà Nội next year.

Deputy Director of the National Sports Administration Trần Đức Phấn made the announcement following an online meeting of the Southeast Asian Sports Federation members discussing the organisation of SEA Games 31 on Tuesday.

“The government allows the sports sector to organise 40 events. In addition to the 36 decided-sports such as athletics, swimming, weightlifting, football, shooting,  judo, taekwondo, karatedo, we will add four events to ensure a maximum of 40 because there are many sports proposed by many countries. This will also benefit Vietnamese sports,” said Phấn.

“It will help Vietnamese athletes compete and show their ability.

“In the previous SEA Games, there were many athletes training hard, but not participating in the competition or their chosen sport was eliminated.

“We can also assess the development of the sports that athletes participate in, so that we can make adjustments and invest reasonably."

At the meeting, representatives of Southeast Asian countries proposed 10 additional sports including triathlon, e-sports, netball, water polo, and ju-jitsu.

“The criteria for selecting sports must be based on the reality of Việt Nam. The first is to have athletes compete in these events,” added Phấn.

“Facilities must ensure good organisation of sports. For example, bowling or e-sports, Việt Nam can organise them.

“In contrast, sailing is difficult to choose because Việt Nam does not meet the requirements to host sailing competitions. Currently, we have recorded and summarised the opinions of the countries, to submit to the organising board, before making a final decision in November.”.

Raising role of women

On the same day, representatives also discussed the role of women in sports in Southeast Asian countries.

Lê Thị Hoàng Yến, deputy director of National Sports Administration and head of sport and women department of SEA Games 31 said:  “In Southeast Asia, the role of women in sports is increasing.

Thailand and the Philippines, each has a female representative in the International Olympic Committee. Other countries are also working hard to improve the role of women in international sports organisations.

“Currently, female leadership in the Southeast Asian Sports Federation is on the rise. The coaches and female athletes have increased.

“Sports in the Olympics, ASIAD, SEA Games have also increased. The number of female athletes winning medals in international competitions of Southeast Asian countries is the same with male athletes.”

According to Yến, at the SEA Games next year, there are more than 40 per cent of sports for women. This shows that women are getting more and more attention, affirming the increasing role in social organisations, including sports.

The meeting also recorded many ideas and contributions from representatives of other countries. The representative of Singapore proposed the idea that each country sends two or three outstanding female athletes to visit SOS children's villages and disadvantaged children to inspire and spread the love of sports.  VNS