VietNamNet Bridge – The 2011 National Shooting Cup tournament will be held at the National Training Centre in Hanoi from April 1-10.

Photo: VOV

The tournament will see the participation of 150 athletes and 30 coaches from 18 teams across the country including Hai Phong, the Army, Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, the Ministry of Public Security, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The shooters will compete in 14 events for men and 10 events for women.

The Vietnamese Shooting Federation will give special prizes to individuals who break national records.

* Bundesliga giants to help set up training academy in HCM City

HCM City-based team Navibank Sai Gon have finalised procedures to establish a football academy with German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the commercial hub next year, the club confirmed yesterday, March 30.

The club's management board representative said that the city's people's committee would discuss the plan at a meeting on Tuesday.

"The team's management board and the German club agreed the proposal in a Memorandum of Understanding during the German team's three-day visit two years ago. It means the football academy will be constructed strictly according to the guidelines set by the German Bundesliga defending champions," the team's source said.

Following the MoU, Bayern Munich will send coaches and experts to help the centre with technical assistance and training skills as part of a prolonged programme.

The FC Bayern Munich-Navibank Sai Gon Academy Centre will occupy a 20ha site in HCM City's District 9 as soon as the plan is approved by the city administration.

City teams in crisis

The construction of the football centre will outlive the crisis facing the city's football, with none of the HCM City-based teams playing in Viet Nam's premier V-League football championship since 2009.

The centre will provide full-time training for kids nationwide who pass trials set by German and Vietnamese coaches.

The academy will be the fourth professional football centre to open in Viet Nam, joining the Promotion Fund for Vietnamese Football Talents, the French-style Scavi Rocheteau in HCM City and the Arsenal-Hoang Anh Gia Lai-JMG Academy in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

VNN/VOV/VNS