Viet Nam's No 1 volleyball player Nguyen Huu Ha has retired from competition after leaving his team Duc Long Gia Lai yesterday.

The 33-year-old has ended his career because of his age and after he could not get a contract with Gia Lai.

Ha was a leading player who played with the clubs of Trang An Ninh Binh and Duc Long Gia Lai, and the national team.

Cam Ranh to host two-day tennis tournament

The Bai Dai-Cam Ranh tennis tournament is scheduled to commence on Saturday in Cam Ranh City, Khanh Hoa Province.

Nearly 200 amateur and professional players from HCM City and the southern provinces will compete in five disciplines in the two-day event, for a total prize money of VND150 million (US$7,100).

Veterans Le Quoc Khanh, Ly Hoang Nam and Lam Quang Tri will also take part in this tournament.

Curtain rises on national U19 football championship

The qualifying round of the 2015 national U19 football championship officially kicked off on January 8 with eight group matches at stadiums across the country, witnessing poor starts from powerhouses.

Reigning champions Hanoi T&T tied 2-2 with the People’s Public Security team, while Viettel crushed Thanh Hoa 3-0 in the Group A opening matches.

A similar scenario was repeated in both Group B matches, with SHB Da Nang tying 1-1 with underdogs Binh Dinh and Thua Thien-Hue overcoming Sanna Khanh Hoa with a score of 4-2.

In Group C, Ho Chi Minh City suffered a pitiful goalless draw against Binh Phuoc on home turf, while Lam Dong beat Dak Lak with ease 3-1.

The final group to compete saw An Giang bag full three points with an away 3-1 win over Can Tho, while guests Dong Thap failed to create a stir against Long An conceding a narrow 1-2 loss.

The annual tournament has brought together 20 teams competing in four groups of five to decide the top two teams from each group that will advance into the final round, scheduled to take place from March 5 to 14.

The overall winners will be awarded with the championship trophy and VND50 million in prize money. Second- and third-place teams will receive VND30 million and VND20 million respectively.

Hoang Nam warms up for the 28th SEA Games

Vietnamese young tennis star Ly Hoang Nam is gearing up for the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore this coming June by competing in two international tournaments.

On January 11, he will fly to Australia to compete in the Australian Open’s junior tournament.

Nam, placed No. 70 in the world in the ITF rankings on December 30, 2014, which qualified him for a wild card berth in the main round at the tournament.

As scheduled, Nam will next participate in the Davis Cup in April in France.

VNS/VOV