Taekwondo artists go to Azerbaijan; Women cyclists to compete in Shanghai; Cycling tourney celebrates Liberation Day; Regional Martial Arts Games delayed

The tournament will see 24 teams of six men and women who have been selected on the strength of their performances in World Taekwondo Federation competitions. The tournament will follow a round robin format.

The finals are scheduled for June 14.

Vietnamese officials and coach Kim Jae-sik, of South Korea, will name four to five women fighters early next month to compete in Azerbaijan.

Women cyclists to compete in Shanghai

The national women’s cycling team will be competing in the Shanghai International Cycling Tour on April 17-21.

About 100 cyclists from 12 countries and territories including Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong and New Zealand will contest the 400km race.

Viet Nam and Thailand are the only representatives from Southeast Asia.

The Shanghai Tour is recognised by the International Cycling Union and will be ideal training for teams eyeing the 25th SEA Games later this year in Laos.

Cycling tourney celebrates Liberation Day

A national cycling tournament will be held on April 22-30 to mark the 34th anniversary of Southern Liberation Day, which falls on April 30.

Starting at HCM City, the 950km route takes in Phan Thiet, Phan Rang, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Bao Loc. The race will end in HCM City.

Event organisers have extended invitations to South Korea, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Thailand, China, Laos and Malaysia. So far, cyclists from the Korea and Mongolia have said they would compete.

This is the 21st cycling race to mark Liberation Day.

Regional Martial Arts Games delayed

The Asian Martial Arts Games, scheduled to be held in Thailand, will be delayed due to the recent political troubles in the country.

The Olympic Council of Asia made the decision after meeting organisers.

The tournament, which was scheduled to run from April 25 to May 3, will be on June 6-14.

Vietnamese officials said the postponement would give national athletes more time to practise and attract greater sponsorship.

The Vietnamese delegation of 87 will compete in six martial arts events – wushu, taekwondo, pencak silat, muay, karate and judo. Kickboxing and kurash teams are also expected to compete if they can attract enough sponsorship.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News