Viet
Nam was selected to host the fifth Asian Beach Games in 2016 at the Olympic
Council of Asia’s (OCA) meeting which concluded on Saturday in Guangzhou, China.

Viet Nam moved past
Chinese Taipei at the last minute to win the right to host the Games which are
scheduled to be organised in the central province of Khanh Hoa’s Nha Trang City.

Vietnamese Minister of
Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah,
president of the OCA, signed the memorandum of understanding for Viet Nam’s
hosting of the event.

At the first Games in
Bali two years ago, Viet Nam pocketed two gold, five silver and 13 bronze medals
for an eighth place finish among 42 delegations.

Viet Nam will compete
in 10 sports at the second Games which will be held in Oman’s Muscat City early
next month.

Viet Nam, which
successfully organised the third Asian Indoor Games (AIG) last year, is widely
expected to win the right to host the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2017
in HCM City and the 18th Asian Games in 2019, said Viet Nam Olympic Committee
Chairman Hoang Vinh Giang.

“President Al-Sabah
talked with Minister Tuan Anh after the OCA meeting and said he would be back to
Viet Nam to host the 18th ASIAD.

“With his support and
our careful preparation, I strongly believe that we will win the right because
Viet Nam now has the ability to host big Asian sporting events after our recent
success with the AIG and the 22nd SEA Games in 2003,” Giang said.

The other countries
submitting bids to host the 18th ASIAD are Thailand, Chinese Taipei and India.

Liem
leads in chess tournament

International Grand
Master (IGM) Le Quang Liem gained four points to take the lead in the men’s
individual chess tournament at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

Liem won four matches
including a victory over the Asian Games’ defending champion Murtas Kazhgaleyev
of Kazakhstan.

The 19-year-old hopes
to maintain his momentum as he gets ready for his fifth and sixth match tonight.

Martial artist Nguyen
Thi Bich beat Elina Chaudhary of Nepal 2-0, earning a semi-final berth in the
women’s 52kg sanshou (combat) event.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News