Athletes compete at the National Athletics Championship last year. They are waiting for the competition's return after the coronavirus is brought under control (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - The VietnamSports Administration (VSA) plans to kick off national tournaments after about a four-month hiatus because of the COVID-19pandemic, pending the government’s approval.
Asper the schedule, Vietnamese athletes were to compete in more than 110 localand international events in the first six months of 2020, while 19 nationalteams would take part in training courses. However, all have been cancelled ordelayed.
The VSA is waiting for thegovernment’s permission to restart sport activities, said Tran Duc Phan, Deputy General Director of VSA.
“Wehave prepared for tournaments, and if approved, we will organise the mostimportant ones including national championships and national junior championships.The other ones might be cancelled. It is impossible to hold all tournaments ofthe year in the last six months,” he said.
Footballmight be the first to restart as the Vietnam Professional Football Company(VPF) and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) expect matches of the National Cup could begin onMay 15.
“The VPF plans the return of football on May 15,but it is just on paper as the Government has not agreed yet. If it does,matches opening for supporters or not is also an issue which needs permissionof the authorities,” said VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan.
Iftournaments are allowed from June, the VFF has enough time to organise all events for both seniors andjuniors, he said.
Afterfootball, the national marathon event, the Tien Phong Newspaper Marathon, will be thesecond event to be organised.
Thecompetition, which has been delayed twice, is planned on July 4 on Ly SonIsland in central Quang Ngai province.
MeanwhilePhan Tuan, head of the Table Tennis Department under the VSA, said his athletes can’t wait tocompete at the national tournaments which will be a warm-up event for theinternational ones where they seek berths available for the Tokyo Olympics in2021./.
VNA
