Vietnamese archers take silvers at Asian Grand Prix

Archer Nguyen Tien Cuong took a silver medal at the three-stringed bow event, or compound, in the first round of the Asian Archery Grand Prix in Thailand on Tuesday.

Cuong defeated many strong rivals and was only defeated by former Chinese Atlanta Olympics and Sydney Olympics champion Tang Hua.

The gold medalist in the same event in 2008, Cuong and his team-mates also pocketed a silver medal at the men’s team event.

Vietnamese archers will continue to compete in the second round in Vientiane in Laos on April 21-27 and the third round in Dakha, Bangladesh, on May 25-31.

Can Tho gears up for national sports event in 2012

Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta is to host the finals of 2012 Phu Dong National Sports Competition from July 26- August 12 and has sped up the construction for infrastructure in the city.

An athlete village area, home to 1,000 apartments, will be constructed to accommodate 6,000 junior sportsmen competing in the finals.

A total of 10,000 young athletes from 63 provinces will go through a series of preliminary rounds held in 5 places across Vietnam before making it to the final destination of Can Tho.

The national amateur sports event, scheduled every four years, has a total price tag of VND1 trillion (US$48 million), with $14 million of which is provided by the host province.

The athlete village will be located at Can Tho Southern New Urban Area in Cai Rang District and will be built by Join Stock Construction Company 586.

After the event, the apartment blocks will be sold to low-income individuals.

Song Lam Nghe An at top, ACB sunk to bottom

Song Lam Nghe An moved to the top of the V-League standings after earning a 2-1 victory over Hoa Phat Hanoi at Vinh stadium on Saturday.

Guests Hoa Phat took the lead when Timothy Anjembe scored the opener in the 12th minute. After the goal, the hosts could not create any real chance to equalise.

After the interval, Nghe An were determined to come back from behind to level the score. Fagan Andre Diego helped the hosts equalise in the 52nd minute. Kavin Eltroy Bryan scored the second goal in the 85th minute, sealing a 2-1 win over Hoa Phat.

At Go Dau, powerhouse Binh Duong lost 3-1 to Khanh Hoa.

Binh Duong dominated the game from the start but Huu Chuong helped the guests take the lead with his goal in the 24th minute.

Two minutes into the second half, Vu Phong levelled the score with his close range strike. The equaliser encouraged the hosts play better. But in a quick counter-attack, Agostinho netted the ball, giving Khanh Hoa the lead again. Van Phong scored the third from the penalty spot in injury time, sealing a 3-1 victory over Binh Duong.

Meanwhile, Hoang Anh Gia Lai earned their first three points after thrashing Hanoi ACB 3-1. Navibank Saigon also demolished Thanh Hoa 3-1 and Ninh Binh suffered a 2-1 loss to guests Dong Tam Long An.

The match between Hai Phong and Dong Thap ended in a 1-1 draw. Thiago Dos Santos opened the scoring for Hai Phong in the 72nd minute. But Cong Thuan scored the equaliser in the 85th minute, earning a precious point for the visitors.

In the early match on Friday, defending champions T & T lost 2-0 to Da Nang.

As a result, Song Lam Nghe An moved to the top of the table with seven points from three matches, followed by Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and T & T (six points each); Navibank Sai Gon and Dong Thap (five points each); Dong Tam Long An, Hai Phong and Binh Duong (four points each); Hoa Phat, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Thanh Hoa ( three points each) Ninh Binh (two points). With three consecutive losses, Hanoi ACB sunk to the bottom of the standings.

New training centre for rowers

A rowing training centre in the northern province of Thai Nguyen is set to be completed in September before hosting the national rowing and canoeing championships.

The centre, the fourth in Viet Nam, is situated on Nui Coc Lake and will be an ideal venue for rowing, kayaking and canoeing throughout the year.

“The centre will provide better conditions for Vietnamese athletes to train for domestic and international competitions. Nui Coc Lake, 80km north of Ha Noi, has a temperate climate and will enable us to get the best out of our athletes,” said the head of rowing at the national sports administration, Nguyen Hai Duong.

Centres have already been set up in Ha Noi, Da Nang and Hai Phong.

At the Asian Games in China last year, Vietnamese athletes won two silver medals in the women’s rowing event, the first time Viet Nam has won medals in the sport at the Games.

In 2004, Vietnamese athlete Doan Thi Cach made it to the semi-finals of the women’s kayaking event at the Athens Olympic Games.

Mountain climbers set to compete

Da Bia International Mountain Marathon is scheduled to be held at Da Bia mountain in Dong Hoa District, in the central province of Phu Yen on Sunday, the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism has announced.

The event is expected to attract teams from15 cities and provinces nationwide and four teams from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.

The competition has two categories, a 5km, 3km and 2km race for professional athletes and a 2km race for amateurs.

The event is part of the 2011 National Tourism Year in Phu Yen and other south-central coastal provinces.

At present, there are three other mountaineering events held in Viet Nam annually, taking place in Yen Tu in Quang Ninh Province, Ba Na in Da Nang and Fansipan in Lao Cai.

Viet Nam prepare for Olympics

Belarus will be the country’s strategic partner for national teams in preparation for the London Olympics 2012, Vietnamese sports managers said.

Viet Nam has chosen Belarus due to its modern facilities and close relationship.

As planned, the nation’s leading athletes in track and field, swimming, wrestling, rowing and gymnastics will soon begin training in the former Soviet Union republic.

National boxing cup slated for March

The National Boxing Clubs Cup will kick off at Dien Hong Gymnasium in the central province of Quang Ngai on March 12-18.

The tournament has attracted the participation of more than 200 boxers from 25 teams nationwide competing in 12 weight categories for men (from under-45kg to over-91kg) and 10 categories for women (from U46kg to U81kg).

The national team training board will select the best boxers for the 26th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia and the qualifying round for the London Olympics next year.

Tien Minh joins Tangkat team

Vietnamese top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh has joined the Tangkat club to compete for the upcoming Super Liga Badminton 2011 event in Indonesia.

He is the first Vietnamese to play for a foreign team.

The Super Liga Badminton 2011 features the participation of seven leading badminton teams from Indonesia. The four best teams will be chosen to enter the semi-finals. The winner will be awarded US$150,000.

The Tangkat have won two matches and lost one with two-time Olympian Minh defeating the former Olympic champion, Taufik Hydayat from Indonesia, 2-0.