Tien Minh not seeded at world champs

Top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh will be the only Vietnamese in the men's singles of the Copenhagen world championships in Denmark from August 25 to 31, according to the World Badminton Federation.

Minh, who was a regular top 10 in previous tournaments, is not seeded this time as he is No.15 in the world.

Vu Thi Trang, the top national player will compete in the women's singles category.

The championship draw will be held on August 24.

At the world's most prestigious tournament, players compete as individuals in five events of the men's and women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles events.-

Vietnamese gymnast to compete in Youth Olympics in China

Tran Vuong Dinh is the only Vietnamese gymnast being invited to compete in the second Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing , China , later this month.

Dinh, 16, participated in a qualifying round in Uzbekistan in April and entered the top 10 list. It means that he qualified for the Youth Olympic Games to be held from August 16 to 28.

Dinh and Jeremiah Loo of Malaysia are the two gymnasts representing the Southeast Asian region at the Games, where the gymnastics events are scheduled to be held from August 17 to 24.-

AFC extends suspension of Vietnamese players

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Disciplinary Committee has extended the suspension of nine Vietnamese players from Vissai Ninh Binh FC.

The suspension takes effect at the confederation level in accordance with sanctions issued by the Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) Disciplinary Committee. This action followed a VFF's request pursuant to Article 136 of the AFC Disciplinary Code.

The VFF Disciplinary Committee temporarily suspended nine players from taking part in all kinds of football-related activities until VFF's next decision.

Each extension will expire on November 20 or on the issuance of a final decision by the VFF Disciplinary Committee, whichever is sooner.

Ninh Binh Province Police had prosecuted these players in April for match fixing.

According to reports, they illegally wagered VND1.02 billion (US$48,600) on a match against Malaysian side Kelantan during the AFC Cup on March 18.

Their team won 3-2 and the players pocketed VND800 million ($38,000).

Martial arts festival hectic with bundle of activities

A street festival opened on August 2 at the Quy Nhon City’s central square in Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, drawing the participation of about 600 martial artists and artisans.

The event took place during the on-going fifth international martial arts festival that kicked off on August 2.

Through the performances, the participants have served as ambassadors promoting their special cultural identities to visitors both at home and abroad.

Within the framework of the international festival, a wide range of activities have been organised across Binh Dinh province.

Contributing to the eventful atmosphere, Japanese martial artists perfomed and taught some of their basic martial art techniques to local people.

An exhibition displaying Japan ’s Samurai armor and swords was held on August 2 at the Binh Dinh cultural centre.

Earlier, the Japanese martial artists toured martial art clubs in Tuy Phuoc district, An Nhon town and Long Phuoc pagoda.

This is the fifth time the province has organised the festival, which will run until August 4.

It includes martial arts performances as well as folk games, a tuong (classical opera) competition, a photo exhibition and a seminar on preserving traditional martial arts.

Participants include 30 domestic martial arts delegations as well as 60 from foreign countries.

Fencers sharpen sabres for training course in RoK

The national female fencing team's sabre group will participate in an intensive training course in the Republic of Korea (RoK) later this month.

The eight-strong team, with leading athletes, including Nguyen Thi Le Dung, Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan and Bui Thi Thu Ha, will have two weeks to practise with the RoK national team, from August 10 to 22.

The course is part of the preparations prior to the coming Asian Games.

Vietnam will send 64 athletes to the 17th Asian Games (ASIAD) to be held in Incheon, the Republic of Korea, from September 19 to October 4.

The country will compete in 20 out of the 36 events.

At the 16th ASIAD in China, the nation gained one gold, 17 silvers and 15 bronzes.-

HCM City hosts Gentlemen's Golf Tournament

More than 100 amateur golfers participated in the 8th Gentlemen’s Golf Tournament, which was held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 2.

The event was sponsored by Le Media JSC along with Sports, Culture and Man magazine and was aimed at supporting and fostering a healthy domestic and international business community.

Top prizes were presented to Tran Duc Huy, Le Oanh Oanh, Thai Hong Quan and Do Ngoc Vinh.

The female and male championship titles went to Do Bao Han and Nguyen Ngoc Khoi respectively.

Vietnam wins opening rounds of Chess Olympiad

Vietnamese chess players on August 2 scored their first win, emerging victorious over Namibia and Uruguay, in the first round of the 2014 Chess Olympiad taking place in the Norwegian city of Tromso.

The Vietnamese male team, which has five of the strongest contenders in the tournament, handily defeated their African rivals from Namibia with a score of 4-0.

GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son (Elo 2634) beat Leonhard Mueller (Elo 2183) after 22 moves.

Nguyen Van Huy (Elo 2439) also defeated Nitzborn Max Baron after 30 moves. In another two matches, GM Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy (Elo 2570) and Nguyen Duc Hoa (Elo 2501) triumphed over Mclena Handjaba and Charles Eichab.

The Vietnamese female team trounced Uruguay 3-1. Nguyen Thi Mai Hung (Elo 2307) failed in a match with Colombo Camila (Elo 2107) after 53 moves.

In contrast, trio Hoang Thi Nhu Y (Elo 2269), Hoang Thi Bao Tram (Elo 2329) and Luong Hanh Phuong (Elo 2171) gained victories over three opponents from the South American country.

This year’s Chess Olympiad, a biennial tournament organized by the World Chess Federation (FIDE), is drawing the participation of 152 male and 136 female teams from around the world.  The tournament runs through August 14.

U19 prepares for Brunei journey

Twenty-two U19 Vietnam squad members assembled at Ham Rong-Gia Lai sports centre on August 3 to prepare for the upcoming International Football Championship Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2014 (HBT) in Brunei from August 9-23.

The team will workout for three days in Ham Rong, prior to leaving for Ho Chi Minh City on August 5 and then on to Brunei the following day.

Coach Guillaume Graechen announced the team is adding three members to the roster for the competition including Ksor Uc (HAGL), Van Thiet (Viettel) and Ho Tuan Tai (SLNA).

In the tournament, the team will face stiff competition from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Cambodia in the qualifying rounds. Particularly, the match-up between U19 Vietnam and U19 Indonesia on August 13 is highly anticipated.   

Ha Noi aim successfully for victory

Hoang Minh Phung of the Ministry of Public Security won the two final gold medals at the National Youth Shooting Championships yesterday in Ha Noi.

Phung earned 574 points in the men's 25m centre-fire pistol individual event. He was followed by teammate Nguyen Van Xuyen and Bui Hong Phong of HCM City.

His team successfully reached the top podium in the tournament, scoring 1,098 points. HCM City ranked second with 1,024 points.

Earlier on Saturday, marksmen set three new tournament records.

The first was won by Phung Viet Dung of the host, who also captured a gold medal with 1,136 points in the men's 50m three position individual rifle category. His score was one point better than the earlier record by the military's Nguyen Thanh Nam set one year ago.

Tran Viet Cuong from HCM City and Hoang Dinh Tu of Thanh Hoa were runners-up.

Ha Noi also won in the team event with 3,321 points, as Thanh Hoa finished closed behind.

The second record belonged to Phong of HCM City, whose score of 581 points in the men's 25m sport pistol pool was three points better than the old record set by Hanoian Pham Anh Dat four years ago.

Phung, of the Ministry of Public Security, ranked second, followed by Phan Xuan Chuyen, also of HCM City.

Phong and Chuyen then jumped to the top podium for the second time with a gold medal in the team event. Their 1,724 points was a new high score for the tournament.

The Ministry of Public Security and Ha Noi finished second and third, respectively.

The hosts, the national shooting hub, topped the medal tally after seven days of competition, winning 12 titles and setting three records.

HCM City came in second with eight gold medals and setting five records. Hai Duong ranked third, taking five gold medals and securing two records.

Young tennis stars to compete in Nha Trang championships

The National Youth Stars Tennis Championships will be organised from August 5 to 12 in Khanh Hoa Province's Nha Trang City.

It is the last annual tournament for young players managed by the Viet Nam Tennis Federation.

Participants are selected from the National Cadet and Teenager Tennis Championships and the National Junior Tennis Championships earlier this year.

Players will compete in 10 singles categories for men and women ranging from U10 to U18 age groups.

A draw will be held today.

Ha Nam women come in second at national football championships

Phong Phu Ha Nam won the silver medal in the National Women's Football Championship, after defeating HCM City 2-1 on Saturday in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province.

One day earlier, Ha Noi 1 triumphed in the tournament, beating Viet Nam Coal and Minerals 1-0.

Le Thu Thanh Huong scored the opening goal for Ha Nam just 18 minutes into the game. Huynh Nhu later pocketed a leveller for the City team at the 57th minute during a counter-attack.

Vu Thi Thuy finalised the result in the last minute, which pushed Ha Nam into second place with 22 points.

The bronze medal was awarded to Viet Nam Coal and Minerals, which earned 13 points.

Ninh Binh hire new players to shore up AFC Cup lineup

Vissai Ninh Binh FC has strengthened their line-up for the Asian Football Confederation Cup's quarter-final round on August 19.

After nine players were suspended following a match-fixing scandal, Ninh Binh signed short-term contracts with national U23 goalkeeper Tran Buu Ngoc of First Division's Dong Thap and midfielder Khanh Lam from Thanh Hoa, who will compete until the end of the Cup.

Ninh Binh also signed an on-loan contract with young players Quoc Trung, Thanh Phong and Sy Nam from V-League's Song Lam Nghe An.

Additionally, three foreign players arrived to try out at the club last week and the team expects to welcome South Korean midfielder Sim Woon-sub, coming back after completing his on-loan contract with Dong Tam Long An.

The final list for the team will be decided on August 12 and sent to AFC.

In the quarters, Ninh Binh will play Hong Kong representative Kitchee on their home soil.

Masters secure first win at international Chess Olympiad

Both men's and women's teams were victorious after the first round of the Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway on Saturday.

The male masters defeated Namibia 4-0, while the women won 3-1 over Uruguay.

In the next round, the men will face Brazil, while the women play Canada.

In the previous Olympiad in Turkey two years ago, Viet Nam finished in seventh place in the men's category and 26th in the women's pool.

Last gasp winner hands Ha Noi title

A goal by substitute Trinh Thi Hoan, helped Ha Noi 1 beat Viet Nam Coal and Minerals 1-0 for the National Women's Football Championship title at Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province.

Hoan, who replaced defending midfielder Nguyen Thi Thanh with less than 10 minutes left, headed home a free kick from Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, another second-half substitute, in what virtually was the last action of the match.

With the win, Ha Noi 1 finished the championship with 23 points, four ahead of Phong Phu Ha Nam, who will play their last match against HCM City today at the same venue.

Despite losing the match, Viet Nam Coal and Minerals still hold the upper hand for a third place given that the under-performing HCM City, who are three points behind, are not likely to win today.

Ha Noi 1 entered the match well aware that a win would give them a second title in two years. Coach Dang Quoc Tuan's players expressed their willingness and determination to win this one before the match started.

Coach Doan Minh Hai's players, however, proved that they were not so easily dominated and displayed a solid performance, which was highly concentrated in defence.

The defending champions enjoyed more possession and were the better team in the early period of the match, but while they did well in the defence and midfield, the third part was not very effective. They failed to even muster a shot until the 21st minute when their had their first shot at the goal which went too high and too wide.

The match went on with much of the action in the midfield with both teams battling for possession. However, the absence of goal-scoring opportunities continued to disappoint the handful of fans.

When everyone thought the match was heading for a draw, Tien floated the ball into the penalty area from a free kick, and Hoan headed the ball to the far post.

Nhan steps down from An Giang following violent incident

Hung Vuong An Giang FC has finally accepted the resignation of coach Nhan Thien Nhan submitted on Wednesday.

It is the third attempt by Nhan this year to step down from his post citing frustration and disappointment at the violent incident that ensued during An Giang's last V-League match against Quang Ninh Coal in the 22nd round last week.

In spite of efforts by An Giang managers to convince him to stay, Nhan was still determined to leave, saying he was "frustrated with the system" and "not wanting to have anything to do with football for now".

Nhan has taken full responsibility for the team's dismal performance and said the club would fare better in the league's two remaining games.