VietNamNet Bridge – The 18th HCM City Open Athletics Championships is scheduled to kick off at the Thong Nhat Stadium today, Aug 2.

The event is expected to attract the participation of 600 athletes.

"The event is very important for domestic athletes as a warm-up to the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia this November," Nguyen Trung Hinh, general secretary of the HCM City Athletics Federation, said.

Viet Nam's 35-member team, complete with seven coaches, is set to compete against on-form South Korean, Indonesian and Philippino rivals at the event.

The country's top middle-distance runner Truong Thanh Hang will be absent because of scheduled training in China, while top sprinter Vu Thi Huong will also miss the tourney due to injury.

On a slightly more positive note, the HCM City event will see the return of veteran Nguyen Duy Bang who won a gold medal in the Hong Kong Open.

The annual competition, recognised as a regional event by the Asian Athletics Association, will impose strict international athletics rules.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News