VietNamNet Bridge - Two members of the Vietnamese national rowing squad did not return home with their team after finishing a training course in Australia last week.

On February 13, the Vietnamese rowing team, with 8 athletes, went to Australia for a one-month training course with Australian expert Zoedonne to prepare for the Olympic qualifications in South Korea next April.

Nguyen Phuong Dong from Hai Phong and Luong Duc Toan from Hanoi, who earned a bronze medal for pair at the 2011 SEA Games, did not return to the team the night before the team left for Vietnam on March 11. They left their luggage at the hotel while their passports are held by the Vietnamese coach, Mr. Do Manh Tung.

The team returned to Vietnam on March 11, without the two athletes.

Coach Do Manh Tung, who is in charge of the team during the training trip, has refused to provide any information about the case. Other team members have not heard anything about the case, a team member said.

Nguyen Hai Duong, head of the rowing division of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, says that this case has hit the preparation for Olympic of Vietnam’s rowing sport.

According to families of the two athletes, they have relatives who are living in Australia. The two athletes may want to stay in Australia with their relatives and seek job there.

The two athletes broke the rules but they are not considered as illegal residence, because their visa is still effective until May 4, 2012.

Australian expert Zoedonne said he would go to see the two athletes at their relatives’ houses to call them to return home.

This is not the first time Vietnamese players fled after finishing their training trips abroad.

In 2008, three athletes of the national wrestling team, Duong Dinh Nam, Nguyen Van Phong, and Nguyen Doan Dung, hid themselves in South Korea after taking part in the Asian Wrestling Championships.

The latest case at the rowing team has made sport officials worried because overseas training is needed for elite sportsmen.

An official of the weightlifting division complained that thoughtless decisions of these athletes have made thing difficult for national sports teams who go overseas for training.

S. Tung