On 3 November, the opening ceremony of the Vietnam–Seoul Friendship Sports Games for people with disabilities took place at the Seoul City Cultural and Sports Centre for People with Disabilities. Attending the opening ceremony were leaders including the Deputy Mayor of Seoul, Chang Yuon Wo, Vice President of the Seoul City Sports Association for People with Disabilities, and the Director of the Seoul Cultural and Sports Centre for People with Disabilities. From Vietnam there were Mr. Vu The Phiet – Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Paralympic Association, Mr. Hoang Du – Vice President of the Association and Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Sports Newspaper, and Mr. Bui Duy Nghia – Standing Committee member of the Vietnam Paralympic Association and General Director of Vietnam Sports Joint Stock Company.
Mr. Vu The Phiet – General Secretary of the Vietnam Paralympic Association at the Vietnam–Seoul friendship sports games for people with disabilities
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Chang Youm Wo expressed his delight at welcoming the leaders of the Vietnam Paralympic Association and the Vietnamese athletes and coaches with disabilities who had enthusiastically taken part in the friendship games. He hoped that similar sports games would be held alternately between the two countries. Mr. Chang Youm Wo also spoke highly of the efforts of the Vietnamese athletes with disabilities who, in difficult circumstances, had strived to rise up, actively trained and competed to win many outstanding achievements, and he hoped that the friendship between the two countries would grow ever stronger.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Vu The Phiet – General Secretary of the Vietnam Paralympic Association sincerely thanked the Seoul City Sports Association for People with Disabilities for its warm and generous welcome, and especially the dedicated help of the leaders and staff of the Seoul Sports Association for People with Disabilities. During the time the Vietnamese delegation for sports for people with disabilities was in Seoul, the delegation received dedicated help from the leaders and staff of the Seoul Sports Association for People with Disabilities. This care is a source of encouragement and motivation for the spirit of determination to rise up and overcome themselves of the Vietnamese athletes with disabilities in life. He hoped that the two countries would maintain a friendly, close relationship and cooperate to promote the development of sports for people with disabilities in both countries.
After the opening ceremony, the Vietnamese delegation for sports for people with disabilities took part in competitions in three sports: swimming, table tennis and badminton, with 11 athletes. During the Games, the delegation of officials from the Vietnam Paralympic Association met with the leaders of the Seoul City Paralympic Association and visited and surveyed the facilities, as well as learning about experience in organising sports games for people with disabilities. The delegation visited the Seoul City sports facilities for people with disabilities. This is a centre built 38 years ago exclusively for people with disabilities; the facility was put into use at the 1988 Paralympics and still works well to this day, and is a training place for teams such as shooting, wheelchair racing, basketball, swimming, badminton and table tennis. In particular, the athletes’ accommodation here is designed very scientifically and conveniently, and is well worth Vietnam learning from to build facilities serving sports for people with disabilities in the future.
Hoang Anh (From Seoul – Korea)
http://thethaovietnam.vn