VietNamNet Bridge – On Thursday, the Southeast Asian Sports Council decided to add four more sports to the 25^th SEA Games in Laos in December 2009: weightlifting, cycling, archery and water-polo.

This is a success for Vietnam, who has been persuading the host country to supplement two sports that are Vietnam’s forte, weightlifting and cycling, to the games.

Previously, 24 sports were defined: athletics, springboard, badminton, swimming, boxing, bowling, football (including futsal), golf, handball, judo, karate, Muay Thai, pentanque, pencak silat, sepak takraw, shooting, shuttle-cock, billiards-snookers, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, traditional boat-racing, volleyball (including beach volleyball), wresting and wushu.

As of now, Vietnam does not have any Muay Thai and handball athletes and the General Department of Sports and Physical Training does not plan to train sportsmen in these fields so Vietnam will participate 26 out of 28 sports at the 25^th SEA Games.

Vietnam’s goal is in to be in the top three in the games.

(Source: SGGP)