Setting off for the 3rd Asian Youth Para Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2013, the Vietnamese sports delegation for people with disabilities had 34 members, led by Mr. Pham Ngoc Son, Vice President of the Vietnam Paralympic Association.
Athlete Pham Thi Binh (standing in the middle)
It is known that, to create favourable conditions for the athletes taking part in the Games, the Vietnam Paralympic Association mobilised many sponsors for the delegation through socialisation, namely: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Quang Tri. However, the costs of food, accommodation and travel were all paid for by the localities of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Quang Tri that sent athletes to take part. The General Department of Sports and Physical Training also supported the athletes with daily pocket money.
The 3rd Asian Youth Para Games for people with disabilities included 15 sports, and the Vietnamese youth Paralympic delegation competed in 7: athletics, swimming, chess, judo, weightlifting, badminton and table tennis. The Vietnamese delegation of athletes with disabilities set off to take part on 24 October. The opening ceremony of the Games was held at Putra Bukit Jali Indoor Stadium, with 1,224 coaches, athletes and officials, including as many as 930 athletes with disabilities from 30 Asian countries.
After the opening ceremony, Vietnamese athletes took part in athletics, table tennis, badminton and judo, winning 8 gold medals and 1 bronze medal, won by the following 6 athletes: Ngoc Hiep – gold medal in long jump; Pham Thi Binh – 2 gold medals in the 100m and 200m in disability class T12, aged 16–17; Nguyen Thi Trang – 2 gold medals in the 100m and long jump in disability class T/F11, aged 14–15; Nguyen Thi Quynh Trang – gold medal in the 100m, disability class T12, aged 18–19; Nguyen Thi Minh Thu – 2 gold medals in chess, disability class B1 and B2 + B3; Nguyen Cuong Thinh – bronze medal in table tennis.
Moving into the third day of competition, on 28 October, the Vietnamese sports delegation for people with disabilities won 5 more gold medals, 1 silver medal and 1 bronze medal in swimming, weightlifting and athletics. The athletes who won medals for the Vietnamese delegation for people with disabilities on this day were: athlete Le Dinh Thu (Ho Chi Minh City), who won a gold medal in the 100m backstroke S11, aged 16–17; Nguyen Ngoc Hiep (Ho Chi Minh City): gold medal in the 200m, disability class T11, aged 19–20; athlete Nguyen Thi Trang (Ho Chi Minh City): gold medal in the 200m, disability class T11, aged 14–15; gold medal in the 400m with a time of 1’20″20; athlete Nguyen Thi Quynh Tram (Ho Chi Minh City): gold medal in the 200m, disability class T12, aged 18–20; Truong Quang Gon (Quang Tri): silver medal in the 100m freestyle, disability class S10, aged 16–17; athlete Duong Van Ngoc (Ho Chi Minh City): silver medal in the 100m backstroke, class S11, aged 16–17.
Thus, as of 28 October, the Vietnamese delegation of athletes with disabilities had won 13 gold medals, 1 silver medal and 2 bronze medals, provisionally ranking 5th out of the 30 participating countries. The athletes who achieved results at these Games are all new faces of Vietnamese sports for people with disabilities; they are new, promising talents for the future. Through this participation, the athletes have exchanged, learned and improved their professional skills, and have affirmed their talent as well as their spirit of determination, aiming for higher goals.
Today, the Vietnamese delegation continues to take part in swimming, athletics, chess and table tennis.
Binh Minh – http://thethaovietnam.vn