Vietnam to attend Malaysia Open Swimming tourney 2011

The competition is part of the Vietnam team’s plan to prepare for the 2011 World Swimming Championships to be held in Shanghai, China, in July, and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Vietnamese swimmers in the Malaysia contest include Nguyen Huu Viet, Vo Thai Nguyen, Pham Thanh Nguyen, Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, and Le Thi My Thao.

After this event, some prominent figures among Vietnamese swimming athletes will leave for Kunming, China, to get further training.

Ex leader requests independent management for sports

Sports should be managed by an independent management body, said Le Buu, former chief of the General Department of Sports Management at Tuesday conference on working out strategy for the sports developments in Ho Chi Minh City.

Now, sport is merged for management under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism under the government.

Sport is a special branch and so should not be included for management together with culture and tourism as now, Buu stressed at the meeting.

In addition, the former leader raised his idea that the ministry or affiliate branches should work out long-term strategy for sports developments, at least 20 years.

A development plan till 2030 from now will facilitate human resources training. Now, long-term planning is approved every ten years.

Le Quy Phuong, vice head of the General Department of Sports Management, replied the conference that it would need more research and survey before detaching sports into an independent body for management.

National traditional boat racing competition opens

The national traditional boat racing tournament opened in the south-central province of Binh Thuan.

The event is jointly organised by the National Sports Administration and the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to mark national tourism year in the south-central coastal region.

Competing in the three-day event are 300 racers from seven provinces and cities across the country including Hai Duong, Quang Tri, Can Tho and Kien Giang. The rowers will race over distances of 1,000m, 500m and 200m.

On Tuesday, the hosts Binh Thuan won three gold medals.

Movenpick amateur charity golf tournament to tee-off

More than 140 amateur golfers will swing for disadvantaged children at the third Annual Movenpick Charity Golf Tournament which is scheduled to tee-off on Saturday at Song Be Golf Course.

Benefits from the event will be given to KOTO (an organisation offering training and hospitality skills to disadvantaged children) and Heartbeat Viet Nam (a fund dedicated to providing cardiac treatment to poor Vietnamese.)

This tournament is organised by the Movenpick Ha Noi and Movenpick Sai Gon hotels.

PV