* Won 48 gold medals, Vietnam finish fourth
Last night, 20 January, at the Wunna Theikdi Stadium in the capital Nay Pyi Taw of Myanmar, the 7th Southeast Asian Games for athletes with disabilities (ASEAN Para Games 7) came to a successful close after five days of exciting competition. Attending the ceremony were representatives of the host country Myanmar’s leadership, the ASEAN Para Sports Federation and the countries taking part, members of the teams of athletes with disabilities from ten countries in the region, and thousands of supporters, volunteers, tourists and local people.
The closing ceremony was quite impressive, rich in identity, in a warm atmosphere of solidarity and friendship. In his closing remarks, the representative of the host country Myanmar expressed admiration and high appreciation for the competitive spirit, the determination to overcome fate and conquer the highest sporting achievements of the athletes of the ten participating teams. The athletes also clearly showed honesty, solidarity, encouragement and mutual support in overcoming difficulties, setting new records during the days of competition.
At ASEAN Para Games 7, the Indonesian team of athletes with disabilities led the overall medal table throughout, winning a total of 99 gold medals, followed by Thailand with 96 gold medals, a considerable gap from the third- and fourth-placed teams, Malaysia with 50 gold medals and Vietnam with 48. Host Myanmar won 34 gold medals and stood just behind Vietnam. The following places went to the teams of the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos respectively. All teams won gold medals, the lowest being Brunei with two gold medals; only Laos, in last place, were the only team not to win any gold medals, taking only three silver medals and three bronze medals.
The Vietnamese team of athletes with disabilities competed successfully, exceeding the target of 40 gold medals set for the Games by eight (Vietnamese athletes won a total of 185 medals, including 48 gold, 65 silver and 72 bronze), but failed to reach the goal of finishing in the overall top three. The two sports that exceeded their targets and helped Vietnam achieve good results at ASEAN Para Games 7 were athletics, with 21 gold, 18 silver and 28 bronze medals, followed by swimming with 20 gold, 27 silver and 27 bronze medals. Powerlifting also met its target with four gold and four silver medals. However, what was special was that of the two key sports bringing in the most gold medals, swimming and athletics, as many as three quarters of the medals set Games, Asian and world records. This is noteworthy because our athletes achieved these results while sports for athletes with disabilities in other countries in the region have also received investment and made much progress. Among the records were those of Nguyen Thi Thuy, who broke her own record set in 2005 in the 200m run and also the long jump, and went on to win another gold medal in the women’s 100m run, and the world javelin record of Nguyen Thi Hai. There were also the Games records of Ha Thi Hue in powerlifting, Vuong Chau in the discus and Ngo Thi Lan Thanh in the javelin. Most notably, powerlifter Le Van Cong, in the 49kg class, not only broke the ASEAN Para Games record but also set an Asian record and equalled the world record in powerlifting. Table tennis alone set a target of four gold medals but won only three gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze medals, as the table tennis teams of Indonesia and Thailand were too strong. These results show the training and competitive efforts of Vietnamese athletes with disabilities and their ability to reach the world’s highest sporting achievements.
For ASEAN Para Games 7 to be a success, credit must go to the investment and careful preparation of facilities and reception and services by the host country Myanmar, and above all the friendliness and hospitality of the many supporters and people of the host country. This left good feelings among the members of the participating teams and journalists from various countries. The ASEAN Para Games 7 flame has gone out and the Games flag has been handed to the representative of Singapore, host of ASEAN Para Games 8, but the impressions of the past days of competition and the images of the people and country of Myanmar will remain forever.
PV – According to Nhan Dan Newspaper