National sports committee celebrates 60th anniversary

The National Sports and Physical Training Committee yesterday marked its 60th anniversary at a conference in Ha Noi yesterday.
 

The meeting, attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Pham Gia Khiem, state leaders, athletes and sports officials of the Central Government and related departments based in Ha Noi, received President Tran Duc Luong”s letter of congratulations for the sports committee”s 60th anniversary. In the letter, the president praised the committee”s achievements in past years and expressed his hopes for further development in sports throughout the country in both professional competitions and amateur leagues.

At the meeting, vice chairman of the sports committee, Nguyen Trong Hy, covered highlights of the 60-year history since the committee was established.

Since its founding in 1946, the committee, as well as the sports sector, have accompanied the country”s developments and achievements, also making big contributions to the implementation of Uncle Ho”s request for all people to exercise.

With consecutive progress over the past 60 years, athletes have returned home successful from international competitions, giving Viet Nam a high ranking in regional sports.

Notably in recent regional events, Viet Nam has made remarkable progress thanks to a long-term sports development strategy. The nation”s athletes won Viet Nam its first Southeast Asian (SEA) Games title when the country hosted the event for the first time in 2003. They also finished in the top three at the last SEA Games in the Philippines in December.

The Philippine Games were a landmark for Viet Nam in key Olympic sports, artistic gymnastics and swimming, in which Vietnamese athletes garnered most of the medals and swimmer Nguyen Huu Viet took the country”s first-ever swimming gold.

The past years have also seen the biggest leaps in sports for the disabled. Disabled Vietnamese athletes surprised home fans by winning 83 gold medals to finish second in the last ASEAN ParaGames in the Philippines. The 68-strong team also broke 45 regional records at the event in December.

The meeting outlined training strategies and goals for Viet Nam”s Olympic team in preparation for the Asian Games in Qatar later this year, the 24th SEA Games in Thailand next year, and, most importantly, the Olympic Games in China in 2008.

Outstanding athletes and coaches who have contributed to Viet Nam”s sporting success received merit certificates and were honoured by the Government, the Party and the sports committee at yesterday”s meeting.

General Secretary of Viet Nam Olympic Committee and Director of the Ha Noi Sports and Physical Training Department Hoang Vinh Giang received the State”s Labour Hero title for his contributions to the country”s sports in the past years of the renewal era. VNS