VietNamNet Bridge – Officials and coaches who are in charged of managing sportsmen during their overseas trips always live in worry. They can only sigh with relief when their teams arrive back in Vietnam, without any incident.

Two Vietnamese rowers not return home after Australian training course

In the last ten years, 13 Vietnamese athletes were reported of not returning home after their overseas training courses, with up to eight wrestlers. The latest case has just happened for the national rowing team--when two rowers did not return to Vietnam though their drilling course ended of March 11.

These are big scandals of the sport sector because these athletes fled while they were performing their mission as Vietnam’s representatives.

These scandals have harmed the prestige of Vietnam’s sports and the pride of members of national sports teams. However, this phenomenon has stirred a question about the life of elite sportsmen and it is an obsession to sport officials, who are in charge of athletes during overseas trips.

Mr. Nguyen Hai Duong, chief of the rowing division of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, says that the rowing team that went to Australia for drilling included only eight rowers, one coach and Australian expert Zoedonne who was already in Sydney as the team’s assistant.

Coach Do Manh Tung was assigned to manage the group, with the assistance of senior rower Nguyen Van Nguyen, who has been with the rowing team as long as coach Tung. Tung and Nguyen always kept their eyes on rowers but the incident happened in the last minutes.

Nguyen Phuong Dong from Hai Phong and Luong Duc Toan from Hanoi, who earned a silver and a bronze medal at the 2011 SEA Games, did not return to hotel the night before the team left for Vietnam on March 11.

Sharing difficulties in controlling athletes, Mr. Vu Son ha, chief of the Karate division, says that it is an “impossible mission” for coaches to always keep an eye on all athletes during training courses and competitions abroad. Coaches have to do a lot of tasks while athletes need to have their personal time.

Effort to supervise athletes during their free time is also ineffective. A wrestler got into a rest room at a supermarket and then fled. The fact shows that the most important thing is the awareness of athletes.

For coaches and sport officials, it is an obsession for them if an athlete flees from their team. When such a scandal happens, they are punished for not well managing athletes.

Do Dinh Khang, head of the weightlifting division, says: “Others say that we are lucky to do this job because we travel everywhere. Actually, we always live in worry whenever we are assigned to lead a team to overseas courses or tournaments. Anything can happen during the trip. Only when we arrive in Vietnam safe and sound, we can sigh with relief.”

Ill reputed decampment of Vietnamese athletes

The wrestling team, which employs wrestlers from rural and remote areas, has the highest number of athletes who fled during overseas trips.

In 1996, the two first wrestlers left the team during a training course in Russia.

In early 2002, during a drilling course to prepare for the Asian Games in Busan, three wrestlers did not return home. One of them was caught and deported by Korean police while working as a porter.

In 2008, after a wrestling tournament in Korea, three Vietnamese wrestlers left the team right at the Incheon Airport.

According to investigation of the media and the sports sector, wrestlers often chose countries where recruit foreign workers and where they had relatives or friends. South Korea used to be a “heaven” for Vietnamese guest workers.

In the past, athletes fled because their income was insufficient to support their family but now, when sportsmen’s earnings have been improved, they still flee. Why?

The sports sector has no way to continue raising income and the professionalism of athletes.

In related news, the Vietnam Rowing Federation has not had any information about the two fled athletes in Australia. If they do not return home before their visa expires (May 4, 2012), they will be considered as illegal residency. Australia has taken tough measures against illegal immigrants.

Officials of the rowing division of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training said that the two rowers, Nguyen Phuong Dong, 22, and Luong Duc Toan, 20, are silly to leave the team. Though their income is not as high as football or volleyball players, it is enough to ensure a stable future for them.

The two rowers joined the national rowing team for six years and they were paid monthly salary. In addition, Dong was provided with VND350,000 ($18) a day for food and stipend.

S. Tung