Top badminton player returns to World No. 7; Judo Clubs championship opens in Bac Lieu; Int’l beach tourney bound for Quang Ninh; Fencers prepare for Asian Games

HTV Bicycle race kicks off in Hanoi

The 22nd HCM City TV Cup bicycle race (HTV Cup) began in Hanoi on April 10, as part of activities to celebrate the Thang Long – Hanoi millennium anniversary.

After the opening ceremony, cyclists from one foreign and 14 domestic teams raced around Hoan Kiem Lake in the initial 50km long stage.

More than an hour into the competition, Bui Minh Thuy of ADC Vinh Long Television won the yellow jersey with an average speed of 44.079km/hour, followed by Tugudru Tulkhagai from Mongolia and Truong Nguyen Van Nhan of Saigon Plant Protection.

The cyclists will begin the 146 second stage from Hanoi to Thanh Hoa on April 11.

The tournament includes 17 stages over a total distance of 2,200 km. Final stage will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 30, on the occasion of the South Liberation Day .

Top badminton player returns to World No. 7

Vietnamese badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh has made a comeback to reach the world number 7 spot despite not competing in any Badminton World Federation (BWF) events during the previous week.

His return is attributed to the Chinese player Chen Long’s fall in the rankings. After 14 weeks, he has a total 57,344.794 points, higher than Chen Long with 56,090 points.

Minh now has a chance to maintain his position as he will compete at the 2010 Asian championship to be held in India where he will go up against world number 259, Shao Wen Hsu from Taiwan, China, in the first round.

It is considered an advantage for Minh that leading players like Lee Chong Wei and Jin Cheng are not taking part in this year’s competition.

Judo Clubs championship opens in Bac Lieu

Over 200 Judo martial artists from 31 clubs nationwide are competing in the national Judo clubs championship 2010, which opened at Bac Lieu University on April 9.

The competitors will face off in 10 different weight divisions, from 42kg to 100kg, for male and female.

The Director of Bac Lieu Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Le Thi Ai Nam, says although this is the first time Bac Lieu has hosted a national sports competition, it is expected to be a successful event.

The tourney will last until April 14.

Badminton stars to compete at Asian championship

Ten top Vietnamese badminton players will compete at the Asian Badminton Championships in India from April 12-18.

Following the Asian Badminton Federation draw Nguyen Tien Minh, Le Ha Anh, Nguyen Hoang Nam and Nguyen Hoang Hai are all seeded to play in the event’s main round.

In the women’s tournament, only Le Ngoc Nguyen Nhung has been seeded. Phuong Nhi and Binh Tho will have to play in the qualifying round.

Vietnam’s top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh is expected to reach the semi-final.

Indonesia and Malaysia cruise to final

Malaysia earned the ticket to play in the final of the 2010 Southeast Asian Futsal Championship with Indonesia after having surpassed hosts Vietnam 2-0 in their last match of the qualifying round yesterday.

This was a regrettable loss for the hosts as they only needed a draw to reach the final.

Both teams started the crucial game with strong determination to win.

Most of the time, Vietnam created a lot of real chances to score but could not convert them into goal.

When there was only two minutes nineteen second to go, from quick counter-attack, Ruzaley Abd Aziz scored a precious opener for Malaysia. And the second goal by Devandran Supramanium in the final minute of the game officially put an end to the hosts’ dream to the final.

“We missed so many chances and were punished by counter-attacks from the opposition,” said Vietnam coach Gargelli in the post-match press conference.

In other match, Indonesia trounced the Philippines 4-0.

As a result, Indonesia will take on Malaysia in the final, due to be held at Phu Tho Gymnasium in Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow.

Int’l beach tourney bound for Quang Ninh

Thirteen foreign teams, including Thailand, Japan, New Zealand and Kazakhstan will take part in the International Women Beach Volleyball Championship to be held in the north-eastern province of Quang Ninh on April 27-29.

In last year’s event, Thailand 1 defeated China 2 in the final match to win the trophy and pocket US$2,500 in prize money.

The tournament takes place annually to help improve domestic athletes and is a chance to promote tourism in Quang Ninh province.

Fencers prepare for Asian Games

More than 100 fencers began competitions at the national fencing championship in Hanoi on April 10.

The tournament is seeing the participation of the country’s strong fencing centres including Hanoi and HCM City which had sent their athletes abroad for training in preparation for the event.

Best fencers will be selected for the national team to compete at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

2010 National U17 Football Tournament to kick off

The qualifying round of the 2010 National U17 Football Tournament will be held from June 5 to July 5, with 25 teams competing.

According to the Vietnam Football Federation, in the qualifying round the teams will be divided into five groups competing in Nam Dinh, Thua Thien-Hue city, Dak Lak, Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Thap.

The six top teams from the qualifying round will join defending champion Song Lam-Nghe An and host SHB-Da Nang in the final round, which is scheduled to take place at Da Nang’s Chi Lang Stadium from July 15-24.

Chess Masters to attend 2010 Asian Champs

Vietnam is sending its top chess players to compete at the 2010 Asian Chess Championships 2010 to be held in the Philippines from April 21-30.

The national team includes International Grand Masters Le Quang Liem, Nguyen Ngoc Truong son, Bui Vinh, Dao Thien Hai, Le Thanh Tu, Hoang Thi Bao Tram, Nguyen Thi Thanh An and Pham Le Thao Nguyen.

The tournament will provide an excellent opportunity for the Vietnamese players to prepare for the 16th Asian Games (ASIAD) in Guangzhou, China and a possible ticket to play in the World Chess Championships.

SHB Da Nang enters next round of AFC Cup

With a 2-1 win against Hong Kong’s host team Taipo FC on April 6, Vietnamese football club SHB Da Nang has booked their place in the next round of the Asian Football Confederation Cup (AFC).

This was the fourth successive win that enables SHB Da Nang to top the table.

With such a tight fixture, the Vietnamese club’s head coach made some major changes to his team. Young defender Cao Cuong was replaced by Phuoc Vinh to play alongside with Hai Lam. In midfield, Nguyen Sa acted as defending midfielder partnering Thanh Hung instead of Nguyen Rogerio and the national teams U19 striker Ha Minh Tuan played with Nicolas Hernadez.

The host team, however, played their full squad with a strong midfield and they played resolutely in front of goalie Li Hon Ho.

SHB Da Nang still dominated the game by playing effective attacking football at a fast pace but failed to open the scoring in the first half of the match.

With the teams level at half time, Tai Po kept up pressure to find a goal. However, its midfield was easily broken down and Sze Win Kai and Yang Xu could not support their defenders.

In the 55th minute, Quoc Anh made a superb solo run into the penalty area slipping past the host team’s defenders and hammered the ball into the far corner of the net, making it 1-0 to the Vietnamese club.

After 35 minutes, SHB Da Nang’s striker Nicolas Hernandez made it two when he headed the ball into the net leaving the keeper nowhere.

The host team could only manage a consolation goal during injury time after an opportunistic strike by Chan Hin Kwong.

Another Vietnamese team, Becamex Binh Duong also won their match in the AFC Cup, defeating Indonesia’s Sriwijaya 2-1 with goals scored by striker Nguyen Anh Duc and defender Chau Phong Hoa.

The win placed Binh Duong in top position along with its group rival, having made seven points from four matches.

PV