08:04, 29/04/2021

Giving priority to investment in key sports

Giving priority to investment in key sports and improving mechanism, policies, and remuneration for high-achievement coaches and athletes, etc. are the two main orientations of Khanh HoaProvince's sports sector in the period 2021 - 2025, with orientation to 2030. 
 

Giving priority to investment in key sports and improving mechanism, policies, and remuneration for high-achievement coaches and athletes, etc. are the two main orientations of Khanh HoaProvince's sports sector in the period 2021 - 2025, with orientation to 2030. 
 
Financial difficulties
 
Currently, Khanh Hoa has 22 teams of 13 key sports including athletics, football (from U11 to U21 teams, beach football), table tennis, volleyball (indoor, beach), dancesport, weightlifting, gymnastics, and martial arts. The quality of training and achievements of athletes has been increasingly improved, especially at the recent national sports festivals. The province’s policies and the level of investment for high-achievement sports in the province are basically equal to the central level.
 
 
Khanh Hoa players at 2020 national table tennis tournament for strong teams
Khanh Hoa players at 2020 national table tennis tournament for strong teams
 
The number of medals Khanh Hoa’s provincial sports teams achieved has increased year by year but mainly in youth, club and open tournaments. The quality of high-achievement sports athletes has been improved but not really stable. There are no excellent athletes in swimming, badminton, and tennis, etc. which have strongly developed. Nguyen Tuan Thanh, deputy director of Khanh Hoa provincial Department of Culture and Sports said: “Lack and degradation of sports facilities are the most difficult problem the province’s sports sector is facing". The current high-achievement sports facilities can only partially meet the provincial teams’ need for training and competition. Some key sports such as athletics and martial arts lack specialized equipment.
 
Financial problems have also caused difficulties in funds for facilities and training for officials in sports science. Besides, there have not been policies for athletes after retirement, which have made it hard for the athletes to pursue and dedicate themselves to sports. Due to lack of funds, the province’s sports associations cannot perform their role in training and fostering the technique and skills of athletes thoroughly.
 
Hope for new stage
 
In order to gradually improve the position of Khanh Hoa’s sports as one of the strong sports centers of the country, recently, the provincial People's Committee issued a plan to develop the province’s high-achievement sports in the period 2021 - 2025, with a vision to 2030. 
 
Accordingly, the province will continue to focus on investment in developing the province's typical and key sports, creating a driving force for the development of public sports; build and develop a team of coaches and athletes with high ethical qualities and professional qualifications; improve the policies; encourage public contributions in developing sports.  
 
From now to 2025, with a vision to 2030, the province will strive to maintain 13 key sports with the existing number of athletes and coaches and maintain the number of medal achieved at national and international tournaments, especially at the 9th National Sports Festival in 2022; add some sports with strong movements such as swimming and basketball to the list of priorities; invest and develop human resources of management officials and technical staff. The province will also invest in sports training equipment; make preferential policies on vocational training and job arrangement; and encourage businesses and individuals to invest in sports activities. At the 10th National Sports Festival, Khanh Hoa’s sports sector aims to achieve 27 medal sets and place in top 20 teams.
 
At the 7th National Sports Festival in 2014, the delegation of Khanh Hoa played 12 sports, getting five silvers and 16 bronzes, placed 25 out of 65 localities. At the 8th edition, Khanh Hoa athletes competed in 13 sports, wining 7 golds, eight silvers, and 13 bronzes; finishing 22nd. Every year, Khanh Hoa’s sports teams participate in more than 80 regional, national and international sports tournaments, achieving more than 350 medal sets. In 2019, three coaches and 14 athletes of Khanh Hoa’s high-achievement sports were called up to the national sports teams playing in the 30th SEA Games. In that edition of SEA Games, athlete Tran Nhat Hoang of Khanh Hoa performed excellent and contributed three gold medals to the achievement of the national track and field team.
 
An Nhien
Translated by H.N