Pham Ngoc Vien, Director of National Sports Training Centre 1.

National Sports Training Centre 1 is home to national sports teams before they participate in Southeast Asian Games. This year, the centre’s responsibility is very heavy as it has to serve national teams before the 3^rd Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam and the 25^th SEA Games in Laos. Vien talked about the centre’s activities.

How many national sports teams is the centre serving?

So far this year, 37 national teams totalling over 700 coaches and athletes have practiced at our centre. However, the peak time will be in two months, before the 3^rd Asian Indoor Games and the 25^th SEA Games.

This is the headquarters of national sports teams, besides the two national centres in the central city of Da Nang and HCM City, but it still lacks some facilities for some special sports so some national teams have to practice in other provinces, such as the women’s aerobic and gymnastics team in Hai Phong, the cycling team in Hoa Binh province.

How are athletes served at the centre?

The meals for national athletes cost VND120,000/person/day ($7). Besides providing athletes with good meals, we also hire a professional instrumentalist to serve our athletes three days a week. We will organise a big event to celebrate the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union anniversary and Vietnam’s Sports Day.

Will the centre be improved to better serve sportsmen?

This is our priority but the money for purchasing equipment and upgrading facilities is really a big problem. Just a good carpet for gymnasts is priced over VND1 billion ($59,000).

From now to July, if we are allocated more funds, around VND13 billion of a total VND20 billion for 2009, we will repair a sports house, upgrade our kitchen, and install some air-conditioners in athletes’ rooms.

VietNamNet/TTXVN