Former European champion Maksim Ivansikovs has signed a contract to coach Viet Nam's national karate's kumite team.

The Latvian coach will guide the team till the end of the year for a monthly salary of US$4,000.

Vu Son Ha, head of the karate department of the National Sports Administration, said: "We are satisfied with Ivancikov's background. He will train our players to prepare for the next SEA Games, and help us win a gold medal at the Asian Games."

This year, the karate fighters will participate in three different competitions, which are the ASEAN Championships next month in Laos, the Asian Championship in September in Japan and the world youth tournament in November in Indonesia.

Ivansikovs, 36, was introduced to Viet Nam by the chairman of the Latvia Karate Federation. Previously, he had worked in Hong Kong and Malaysia.

In another development, former world karate champion Nguyen Hoang Ngan will take charge of the women's kata (performance) team.

Former world karate champion Nguyen Hoang Ngan -- File photo

Ngan, who is training in Japan, will return home next month and start her new job. The 31-year-old will also compete as a fighter.

The men team will be coached by Le Tien Nguyen.

Duc Thang GPRS travel to Anfield

Duc Thang GPRS will represent Viet Nam at the Standard Chartered Cup Global Final football tournament at Liverpool's Anfield, England, in May.

GPRS won the South region tournament defeating northern representative Viettel 2-1 in the Viet Nam's final on Sunday in HCM City.

In England, the team will have to defend the title Viet Nam won last year, vying against nine teams that qualify from their domestic and regional qualifying rounds.

The tournament's winner will be decided on May 8.

Football festival for U13 students

Yamaha Motor Viet Nam is preparing to organise its first football festival for U13 students from all over the country.

So far, 96 teams from six cities and provinces have registered to compete in the event, and they will take part in regional qualifiers starting from late March.

The tournament will kick off in Can Tho on March 28.

The top two teams from each city will advance to the final round in Ha Noi from May 28 to June 3.

The winners of the festival will enjoy an exchange tour to Japan, where they will take part in friendly matches against Japanese teams.

The aim of the festival is to create a professional playing field for young players to learn about fair-play and respect.

The festival, co-organised by Thieu Nien Tien Phong (Youth Pioneers) Newspaper and The Thao 24h Joinstock Company, is part of a Yamaha programme titled: For the Future of Viet Nam Football.

Ha Nam beat Tao Dan in champs

Phong Phu Ha Nam had their first win at the National Women's Football Championship yesterday, March 16, in HCM City.

Last year's runners-up defeated newcomers Tao Dan 3-0 in the fourth-round match. Pham Thi Tuoi, Tuyet Dung and Do Thi Nguyen scored one each.

The winners now have four points and rank fourth while the losers stay at the bottom with an empty bag.

Earlier on Sunday, defending champions Ha Noi 1 trounced Viet Nam Coal and Minerals 5-2.

The victory made Ha Noi 1 the leader in the ranking table with nine points, followed by HCM City and Viet Nam Coal and Minerals.

The next round will be tomorrow and Thursday.

Marksmen shoot down six records at national champs

Six new national records were set at the National Shooting Cup which wrapped up in Ha Noi on Saturday.

Duong Thi Chuc of Ha Noi set the first in the women's individual 10m air rifle event with 206.2 points, 5.1 points more than the old record.

Ho Viet Thanh of Quang Nam shot 202.7 points in the men's individual 10m air rifle to raise the bar, while Nguyen Thu Van of the Ministry of Public Security scored a new record in the women's individual 10m air pistol with 198.8 points.

Three team records also went to the Military (one) and Ha Noi (two).

After seven days of competition, the Military team top the rankings with 15 gold, 13 silver and nine bronze medals.

Ha Noi are in second with 13 golds, followed by Hai Duong with three.

More than 600 cuists to compete at national event

The National Billiards and Snooker Championships kicked off on Sunday, March 15, in My Tho City, Tien Giang Province with the participation of more than 600 players from 22 teams.

They are competing in six three-cushion carom, one-cushion carom, English billiards, snooker, 9-ball pool and 10-ball pool. All the competitions are in a knockout format.

Futsal Championships to adopt new format

The National Futsal Championship will kick off on March 29 in Ho Chi Minh City with new rules, under which 10 teams will compete in a two-stage tournament.

Previously, teams took part in group round then advanced to the knockout round.

From March 29-April 7, teams will be divided into two groups competing in a round robin format. The top four teams from each group will advance to the final stages from April 12-25, who will compete in another round robin competition to find a champion.

The top six teams will receive a wide-card to the second stage of next year's event.

According the Vietnam Football Federation, the new rule will give players more chance to compete and raise the competitiveness of the tournament.

This year's winners will be awarded 80 million VND (3,800 USD), and the organisers will also award prizes for best player, best goalie and top scorer.

Marksmen shoot down six records at national champs

Six new national records were set at the National Shooting Cup which wrapped up in Hanoi on March 14.

Duong Thi Chuc of Hanoi set the first in the women's individual 10m air rifle event with 206.2 points, 5.1 points more than the old record.

Ho Viet Thanh of central Quang Nam province shot 202.7 points in the men's individual 10m air rifle to raise the bar, while Nguyen Thu Van of the

Ministry of Public Security scored a new record in the women's individual 10m air pistol with 198.8 points.

Three team records also went to the Military (one) and Hanoi (two).

After seven days of competition, the Military team top the rankings with 15 gold, 13 silver and nine bronze medals.

Hanoi are in second with 13 golds, followed by Hai Duong with three.

Vietnam win gold at Asian Cup 1 Regatta

Vietnamese athletes won three gold medals at the Asian Cup 1 Regatta held in Singapore on March 13.

Le Thi An and Pham Thi Hue finished first in the women's doubles W2. The runners-up were from Kazakhstan and Myanmar.

Nguyen Van Linh defeated his rivals from the Philippines and Singapore to win the gold medal in the men's individual LM1x.

Meanwhile, Pham Thi Thao and Ta Thanh Huyen won the gold in the women's doubles LW2x. The silver and bronze medals went to Myanmar and Thailand.

Vietnam bagged three more silver and three bronze medals in the tournament, in which 229 competitors from 13 nations and territories participated.

The tournament, which ends on March14, is a warm-up for the 28th Southeast Asian Games to be held in Singapore in June.

Hanoi Vertical Run to be held on April 18

Hanoi will host a vertical run at the Landmark 72 Tower, the tallest building in Vietnam, located on Pham Hung Avenue in Cau Giay District, on April 18 as part of the 2015 Vertical World Circuit (VWC).

Officially recognized as an ‘exhibition race’ of the VWC this year, the Hanoi Vertical Run is open to runners in the Southeast Asian country andaround the world.

Runners will climb 1,914 steps to ascend to the observation deck on the 72nd floor at a height of 350 meters.

This will be the third event to have been held in Vietnam, after the maiden run in 2012 and another in 2013.

During the 2013 race, German Thomas Dold won the prize in nine minutes and 13 seconds in the men’s category and Australian Suzy Walsham claimed the women’s title in 10 minutes and 51 seconds.

The deadline for online registration at http://www.runhanoi.com/register/index.html is April 3, or when the quota for registration is full, with the participation fees ranging from US$20 to US$25.

“We are delighted to see the Hanoi Vertical Run included in the Vertical World Circuit. The running world in Vietnam grows, people are very excited to take part in challenging sporting events,” said event organizer David Shin of Sporting Republic.

Besides the exhibition race in Hanoi, the 2015 Vertical World Circuit comprises eight official races in eight cities around the world, including two in New York on February 4 and London in March 3.

The six other races are in Taipei on May 5 for a 391m vertical run, Paris on May 29 for 225m, Beijing on September 5 for 330m, Sao Paulo on October 10 for 140m, Shanghai on October 25 for 254m, and Hong Kong on December 6 for 364m.

The event in Hong Kong is the circuit finale, where the male and female world champions will be crowned.

VNS/VOV