Vietnamese athletes will compete in eight of 16 sports at the 9th Southeast Asian ParaGames in Malaysia from September 17-24.

Reigning champion Nguyen Thanh Trung will defend his title of the men’s 100 m breaststroke SB4 in the Malaysian ParaGames

The 190-member delegation that includes 151 competitors is under Nguyen Ngoc Anh, head of the Amateur Sports Department of the Vietnam National Sports Administration.

The team will leave for the Games on September 13.

“Our athletes include 12 outstanding powerlifters and swimmers. They have been training intensively in Hanoi and HCM City from early this year. The rest were selected after their successful performances at the national championships for people with disabilities. They are all medal favourites at the coming Games in Kuala Lumpur,” said Anh.

At the previous Games in Singapore in 2015, Vietnam ranked fourth with 48 gold medals.

Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia secured the top three, respectively.

VNA