Nha Trang to host Asian U-16 event

Viet Nam has been assigned to host the second International Basketball Association (FIBA) Asia Championship in Nha Trang on October 18-28.

The Viet Nam Basketball Federation (VBF) said it's the first time Viet Nam has hosted an FIBA Asia event.

The World U-17 Championship qualifiers, will see16 teams competing in four groups at Nha Trang Gymnasium.

Last year, the VBF also organised its first national U17 tournament in Ha Noi.

Basketball is also popular in universities and colleges throughout the country.

The VBF estimates that there are approximately 6,000 amateur players across the country, 100 of whom play professionally for eight men's and five women's teams.

The federation wants to increase the number of regular players to 10,000 by the end of 2012, which it hopes will lead to the discovery of fresh talent.

Basketball centres have opened up in HCM City, Soc Trang and Anti-Aircraft Air Force for national squad players.

Viet Nam face hard job in Olympics qualifiers

The Viet Nam women's football team will meet Iran in the second round of the London 2012 Olympic qualifiers at King Abdullah Stadium in Jordan on June 6.

The team, who qualified from first round last month, will also play Jordan, Uzbekistan and Thailand in a tough group.

The five teams will compete in a round-robin format.

The top team will get a berth in the final round with China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Australia, from which the top two will qualify for the London Olympics next year.

Viet Nam have won the Southeast Asian Games four times, but the team have never qualified for an Olympic Games since the country made its debut at the Moscow Olympics in 1980.

New faces to feature at Asian Grand Prix

The Asian Athletics Federation has invited Bui Thi Nhat Thanh and Ho Thi Hue Hoa to take part in the Asian Grand Prix Series in China next month.

Thanh will compete in the women's triple jump event and Hoa will contest in the women's high jump.

Thanh won a gold medal with 13.69m in the women's triple jump in the recent National Sports Games, while Hoa's best performance was a high jump of 1.86m.

This year's Asian Grand Prix Series is scheduled to be held in different cities in China. The first leg will be held in Jiaxing on May 22, second in Kunshan on May 26 and third and last in Wujiang on May 29.

Top athletes Vu Thi Huong and Truong Thanh Hang didn't get the call because the Viet Nam Athletics Federation (VAF) has compiled a detailed training schedule to help them prepare for the London Olympics in London in 2012.

According to Uwe Freimuth, May will be the time for Hang to have drilling trips on mountains of 2,300m and 2,800m in Kunming in China, while Huong will train and compete in some events in Germany.

Both will compete in the Asian Track and Field Championships in July in Kobe, Japan; the World Track and Field Championships in October in Deagu, South Korea, and the 26th Southeast Asian Games in November in Indonesia.

If their performances at these tournaments meets Olympic criteria, they will be off to the London Olympics.

German experts said Hang can become one of the world's top 10 female middle-distance runners if she can improve her physical health and durability.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News