National Para Games attract 700 disabled to HCM City

More than 700 disabled athletes took part in the seven-day National Para Games, which kicked off in HCM City yesterday, June 29.

Sportsmen, drawn from 25 provinces and cities nationwide are set to compete in track and field, swimming, table tennis, badminton, weightlifting, tennis and chess events.

Following the Games, winners will have the chance to compete at the sixth ASEAN Para Games to be held in Indonesia this December.

The event has additionally attracted the participation of disabled athletes from South Korea as part of a development programme set up between the two countries.

The Games is co-organised by the National Sports Administration, the Viet Nam Paralympics Association and the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Twenty six from VN to compete for Takraw cup

Viet Nam will take part in the first International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF) World Cup championship in Malaysia from July 21 to 24 at the Titiwangsa Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.

A team of 14 men and 12 women will compete against athletes from 24 ISTAF member countries such as Thailand, Iran, Singapore and Myanmar.

Competitors will vie for a share of the total purse of US$50,000 in prizes in the event which will be broadcast across 15 countries in Asia and 47 in Europe.

The new ISTAF Super Series 2011-12, comprising five international tournaments featuring competitors from elite sepak takraw nations, will follow the World Cup championship.

The first will be held in Thailand on September 8-11. An event in Malaysia will follow in December, then Viet Nam in February while Iran will welcome athletes two months later. The final tournament will be held in China in June.

Viet Nam wins four Korean martial arts gold medals

Vietnamese martial artists have won four gold medals at the 7th Korea Open International Karatedo Championships, which wrapped up in Busan, South Korea, earlier this week.

The gold medals went to over-18 contestants Bui Thi Trieu, Le Bich Phuong, Nguyen Van Phung and kumite (combat) women's Team 1.

Vu Thi Nguyet Anh, who won a gold medal at the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, managed to palm a silver medal while Tran Hoang Yen Phuong, Dao Thi Thoan, Nguyen Van Su, Nguyen Quang Phuc and kumite women's Team 2 won five bronze medals.

The competition, held in South Korea since 2005, drew more than 400 athletes from 12 countries around the world.

Five golfers qualify for final round of VCCI Challenge

Five golfers have qualified for the final round of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Challenge Series after good performances in the first qualifying round at the Kings Island Golf Course.

The first qualifying round saw 120 golfers competing in men's and women's handicap divisions of 0-16, 16-32 and over-32.

Viet Nam's Nguyen Van Tinh won the Callaway Division with a score of 75, while Nguyen Cuu Long took the lead in Division B with 66 points. Le Minh Tuan finished top of Division A with 67.

South Korean Kim Yeong-jin won the Ladies division with a score of 77, while fellow Kwon Heyo-tae came out on top of the men's low gross division.

The next qualifying round is set to be held at the HCM City Long Thanh Golf Resort on July 17.

The best golfers from four qualifying rounds will secure berths for the final round set to take place at the Vinh Phuc Heron Lake Golf Club on October 9.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News