Vietnam"s integration into Southeast Asian sports
The 15th SEA Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from August 20-31, 1989, was the first event of its kind Vietnam participated in since its national…
The 15th SEA Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from August 20-31, 1989, was the first event of its kind Vietnam participated in since its national reunification in 1975.
The country sent 46 athletes to the biennial tournament, who competed in eight sports, namely shooting, track and field, swimming, table tennis, women”s volleyball, boxing, gymnastics and tennis.
Finishing the event, Vietnam ranked 7th out of nine countries with three gold, 11 silver and five bronze medals.
At the 16th SEA Games, which was held in Manila, the Philippines, from November 25 – December 5, 1991, the Vietnamese delegation brought home seven golds, 12 silvers and 10 bronzes, again ranking 7th out of nine participating nations.
As many as 100 Vietnamese athletes competed with their rivals from Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Laos, in 27 sports.
In 1993, Vietnam sent 139 athletes to the 17th SEA Games in Singapore from June 12-20, who competed in 15 of its 29 sports, including track and field, swimming, gymnastics, shooting, volleyball, football, table tennis, judo, karate, tennis, badminton, boxing, wushu, taekwondo and penkat silat.
Securing nine golds, six silvers and 19 bronzes, the country came in 6th among nine nations at the tournament.
The 220-member Vietnamese delegation, including 139 athletes, won 10 gold, 18 silver and 24 bronze medals, ranking 6th again at the 18th SEA Games organised in Chieng Mai, Thailand, from December 9-17, 1995.
The Vietnamese athletes contested in 15 sports at the tournament, namely track and field, swimming, shooting, volleyball, football, table tennis, women”s basketball, judo, karate, tennis, badminton, weightlifting, springboard, taekwondo and penkat silat.
In 1997, the country sent a sport delegation of 540 members, including 340 athletes, to the 19th SEA Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. This was Vietnam”s largest ever delegation of athletes to the regional event.
With 35 golds, 48 silvers and 50 bronzes, Vietnam ranked 5th among 10 nations at the tournament.
Competing in 14 of 21 sports at the 20th SEA Games, which was organised in Brunei from July 27-August 16, 1999, Vietnamese athletes won 17 gold, 20 silver and 27 bronze medals, taking 6th place.
As many as 170 Vietnamese sportsmen and women were sent to the 20th SEA Games.
Vietnam remarkably improved its standing at the 21st SEA Games as compared to the previous events. The country secured a total of 134 medals (33 golds, 35 silvers and 66 bronzes), coming in fourth among 10 participating nations.
A total of 416 Vietnamese athletes contested in 24 sports at the tournament held in Malaysia from September 8-17, 2001.
As the host of the 22nd SEA Games in 2003, Vietnam ranked first for the first time with 155 gold, 97 silver and 91 bronze medals.
The nine-day event, which started on December 5, saw the participation of 3,726 athletes, 1,058 coaches, 2,209 referees and 142 technical officials.
The sportsmen and women, including those from East Timor who took part in the regional sport tournament for the first time, competed in 442 events of 32 sports.
Vietnam will take part in the upcoming 23rd SEA Games in the Philippines with 528 athletes, competing in 33 of the event”s 41 sports. The country is expecting to win 60-80 gold medals and secure a place among the top three at the tournament.
(Nhan Dan)
