National Games 2014 wraps up with 57 records set

The seventh National Games 2014 wrapped up in the northern province of Nam Dinh on December 16, seeing 57 national records set in track and field, swimming, diving, weightlifting and shooting.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Khanh Hai said the event reflected soundly the development of physical training and sports in each locality and the entire country.

A total of 740 sets of medals were awarded to outstanding athletes in 36 sports during the games.

Hanoi topped the tally with 223 golds, 118 silvers and 137 bronzes, followed by the teams from Ho Chi Minh City and the Armed Force.

The southern province of An Giang will host the eighth National Games in 2018.

Tam wins final Trans-Viet stage

Trinh Duc Tam won the final stage of the Trans-Viet Cycling Tour yesterday.

Tam, of ADC-Vinh Long Television, finished the 43km stage around Cao Bang City with 16 points. Ariya Phounsavath of Laos was second with 13 points, while Tam's teammate Loic Desriac came third with 10 points.

Huynh Thanh Tung of the Military Team 1 won the white jersey for the best young cyclist.

The King of the Mountain red jersey went to Hari Fitrianto of Laos, while Do Tuan Anh of Domesco Pharmacy Dong Thap won both the green jersey as best sprinter and the yellow jersey for best overall time.

Dong Thap won the team event, followed by Vinh Long Television and HCM City.

National U19 football event to kick off

The National U19 Football Championships' qualifying round is scheduled to take place from January 8 to February 1, the Viet Nam Football Federation has announced.

The event will attract the participation of 20 teams nationwide, divided into four groups.

Group A includes People's Public Security, Ha Noi T&T, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh Coal and Viettel. Group B consists of Binh Dinh, Sanna Tech Land Khanh Hoa, SHB Da Nang, Song Lam Nghe An and Thua Thien Hue.

Group C will be Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dac Lac, Lam Dong and HCM City. While An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, PVF and Can Tho are in Group D.

The teams will compete in a double round robin format to decide the top eight teams to enter the final round, to be held on March 4-15.

The eight teams will play in two groups to select the four best teams to qualify for the semi-finals.

Tai to miss first V-League game

The Vietnamese national team captain Le Tan Tai will miss his opening match of the V-League, which begins on January 4.

Tai, who is a member of the defending champion Becamex Binh Duong, suffered a serious leg injury during the AFF Cup's semi-final match between Viet Nam and Malaysia last week, just 15 minutes after entering the field from the bench.

Doctors said that he had a broken bone and has to rest for at least one month.

The AFF Cup was probably the last time Tai wore the national team jersey.

The 30-year-old was a key player in Viet Nam's 2008 AFF Cup victory. He was voted among the top three Best Players of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2012.