09:09, 03/09/2020

Hope for improvement in meal policy for coaches and athletes

Khanh Hoa Province's sports coaches and athletes are given around VND70 to 110 thousand/person/day for meals, which is too low compared to the general level of the country. Especially in the current situation of complicated COVID-19 pandemic, the postponement and cancellation of many tournaments have affected the life of the province's coaches and athletes.
 

Khanh Hoa Province’s sports coaches and athletes are given around VND70 to 110 thousand/person/day for meals, which is too low compared to the general level of the country. Especially in the current situation of complicated COVID-19 pandemic, the postponement and cancellation of many tournaments have affected the life of the province’s coaches and athletes.
 
Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports recently put forwarded three proposals relating to the province’s sports sector to the provincial People’s Committee. The proposals included the investment plan for the provincial football team Sanna Khanh Hoa-Bien Vietnam, investment in repairing some facilities of the provincial sports arena (33 Phan Chu Trinh Street), and improvement in monetary policy for coaches’ and athletes’ daily meals. 
 
 
 
At present, for daily meals, the coaches and athletes of the provincial junior sports teams are given VND70 thousand/person/day; provincial professional sports teams are given VND90 thousand/person/day; higher-level coaches and athletes are offered VND110 thousand/person/day. These amounts of money are too low and cannot meet the nutritional needs for practice of the coaches and athletes. Tran Quang Thuong, director of the provincial Sports Technique and Training Center, hopes that the authorities will soon increase the money for daily meals to encourage the coaches and athletes to work and practice more dedicatedly.
 
The current meal policy for coaches and athletes in Khanh Hoa has been applied for eight year and are no longer appropriate. With this policy, each athlete of Khanh Hoa provincial sports teams receives more than VND1.8 to 2.8 million per month for daily meals. In the past, the coaches and athletes could manage their life with this amount, plus the money for meals provided during practicing and competing at the national tournaments. Especially, since June 2020, their living has been improved after the provincial People’s Committee approved to raise the money for daily meals of high-achievement sports coaches and athletes to VND130-290 thousand/day. However, with the postponement and cancellation of many sports tournaments due to complicated situation of COVID-19, the income of Khanh Hoa’s coaches and athletes has depended on the monthly meal allowance.
 
The Resolution 13/2012 of Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Council stipulates three levels of monthly meal allowance for the province’s sports coaches and athletes during training time, competing time, and regular meals. Although the money for meals during training time and competing time has been increased since June, the amount for regular meals has remained unchanged. 
 
Nguyen Dac Tai, Permanent Vice-Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee, directed the provincial Department of Culture and Sports to consult relevant departments and units to solve the difficulties in raising the money for regular meals of the province’s coaches and athletes.
 
An Nhien
Translated by H.N