Nike sponsors national tennis team

The Vietnam Tennis Federation (VTF) and the American giant , Nike, have signed a deal to sponsor the national tennis team for the 26th SEA Games in Indonesia.

The team has 8 players and 2 coaches, hoping to win one bronze medal in the women’s team category.

Each player will receive four Nike high-quality tennis kits and a pair of shoes. The good clothing will help Vietnamese tennis players feel more convenient and self-confident in major matches, said Nguyen Quoc Ky, Deputy-Chairman of the VTF.

Also in 2012, the giant will provide sport products for the men’s and women’s national teams in the international tournaments.

Former Thai football star backs Vietnam, Thailand

Vietnam and Thailand are the strongest teams at the Southeast Asian Games football event this month and are likely to play in the final, former Thai striker Kiatisak Senamuang told Tuoi Tre.

Vietnam have a very strong midfield and their fitness has improved by leaps and bounds, he said.

They are likely to top group B from Myanmar and the Philippines, while Laos, Brunei, and Timor Leste are the underdogs, he said.

Thailand hope to defeat defending champions Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia and draw with hosts Indonesia to top group A.

Yesterday Vietnam had a two-hour training session at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium after landing in Indonesia the previous day.

German coach Falko Goetz wants his team to play one-touch football at speed and press their opponents all over the field.

Vietnam take on the Philippines in their opening game tomorrow.

The SEA Games football event starts tomorrow, eight days before the other events. The games end on the 22nd of this month.

Table tennis tourney opens in Dak Lak

The 2011 provincial Table Tennis Championships kicked off in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak on November 3.

The championship attracted 130 athletes from 16 teams in the province who are competing in seven single and double events for both men and women.

The competition, which last until November 6, aimed to improve professional skills for local athletes and select the best ones to take part in larger events.

Viet Nam drawn in tough group for SEA Games basketball

The national basketball team will compete at the 26th Southeast Asian Games as part of Group A alongside defending champions the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia.

Group B will in turn consist of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar.

Viet Nam is set to take part in the men's division discipline for the very first time.

At the drawing ceremony, Dato Yeoh Choo Hock, general secretary of the International Basketball Federation in Asia, praised the country's representation at the SEA Games as a means of regional sporting integration.

Runners to get big cash-prizes at SEA Games

Vietnamese runners will receive a VND100 million (US$5,000) cash-prize if they qualify for the 2012 London Olympics during competitions at the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia from November 11-16.

The Viet Nam Athletics Federation (VAF) made the announcement yesterday.

The 41-member athletics squad, which includes top middle-distance runner Truong Thanh Hang, sprinter Vu Thi Huong and decathlon athlete Vu Van Huyen, are scheduled to leave for Indonesia on Wednesday.

Hang won gold medals at five SEA Games from 2005 to 2009 and is a golden hope for Viet Nam at the upcoming regional competition.

The sponsorship prize was signed in a deal between VAF and the national Oil and Gas Group in a ceremony in Ha Noi yesterday.