Delegates at a meeting of participating countries at the third Asian Indoor Games held yesterday in Ha Noi. Viet Nam is ready for the third Asian Indoor Games to kick off on October 30.

During a two-day meeting of the leadership of participating countries in Ha Noi to finalise preparations for the Games and check competition venues, representatives of the Olympic Council of Asia expressed their appreciation for Viet Nam’s efforts.

“Preparations have been done well. The upcoming Asian Indoor Games will be a big event for Viet Nam. The game is not only a chance for athletes from Asia to get together, but it’s a chance for Asia know more about the development of Viet Nam,” said OCA’s honorary for life vice president, Wei Jizhong.

At a press conference after the meeting, the Viet Nam Olympic Committee vice chairman and general secretary, Hoang Vinh Giang stressed that Viet Nam had done its best to prepare for the games.

“The 3,100-seat My Dinh Indoor Athletics venue, which will host the biggest competition of the game, will be inaugurated next Wednesday. We’ll invite officials from OCA to check all venues before the game begins.”

Giang said 42 teams have registered to take part in the biggest indoor game in Asia.

“I’ll make sure that all 45 members of OCA will participate in the game in Viet Nam, because it will be the biggest in history. The games will make Vietnamese people more confident, and the success of the games will increase the status of Viet Nam in Asia,” Wei added. As scheduled, the opening ceremony will be held at Ha Noi’s 40,000-seat My Dinh National Stadium, while Quan Ngua Sports Palace will host the closing ceremony on November 8.

Ha Noi will be the main venue for 11 sports, along with HCM City, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong and Quang Ninh.

AIG is expected to attract over 4,000 athletes, coaches and officials from 45 countries and territories, who will compete in 20 official sports and one demonstration event. They are athletics, short -course swimming, fin swimming, dance sport, archery, petanque (iron bowling), wushu, pencak silat, women’s boxing, shuttlecock kicking, sepak takraw (rattan ball kicking), aerobics, chess, Chinese chess (Xiangqi), futsal (indoor football), Thai muay, three-a-side basketball, E-Sports, traditional Vietnamese martial arts (Vovinam), billiards&snooker, kurash (central Asian wrestling), bowling, kick boxing, kabaddi, Lion and Dragon Dancing and a demonstration of the martial art jujitsu and beltwrestling.

VietNamNet/VNS