At the Asian Para Games 2014 in Incheon (South Korea), the Vietnamese sports delegation for people with disabilities will compete in 6 of 23 sports, including athletics, swimming, weightlifting, badminton, table tennis and bowling. Speaking to us, Mr. Dong Quoc Cuong, coach of the swimming team for people with disabilities, was confident his students would achieve good results at the Asian Para Games 2014.
Reporter: At the Asian Para Games for people with disabilities in Incheon (South Korea), for the first time the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Asian Paralympic Committee set conditions for athletes to take part in the Games, specifically that in athletics, swimming and weightlifting, athletes must take part in competitions organised by the IPC to qualify. So in which competition did the Vietnamese swimming team for people with disabilities qualify for the Asian Para Games 2014?
Coach Dong Quoc Cuong: Under the regulations of the IPC and the Asian Paralympic Committee, there were two competitions in 2014, in the US and Germany, for swimmers with disabilities to qualify for the Asian Para Games 2014. Therefore, in April 2014, we went to Germany for the qualifying competition and qualified 8 athletes: Vo Huynh Anh Khoa, Ha Van Hiep, Vo Thanh Tung, Nguyen Thanh Trung, Le Tien Dat, Do Thanh Hai, Trinh Thi Bich Nhu and Du Thi Lan.
Reporter: Which athletes will be expected to win gold medals?
Coach Dong Quoc Cuong: Vo Thanh Tung is our greatest hope. At the Asian Para Games 2010 in Guangzhou (China), Vo Thanh Tung won 1 gold medal (50m freestyle) and 1 silver medal (100m freestyle). This time, we hope Vo Thanh Tung will win gold medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle. In addition, the team also hopes to win gold medals with two athletes: Trinh Thi Bich Nhu (100m breaststroke, disability class SP5) and Do Thanh Hai (100m breaststroke, disability class SP4).
Reporter: In your view, how do training conditions in Hanoi differ from those in Ho Chi Minh City?
Coach Dong Quoc Cuong: Training in Hanoi means swimming indoors, unaffected by rain and storms, so the team maintains a regular training schedule. Before leaving for Incheon, the children’s physical condition is fine. Food at the National Sports Training Centre No. 1 (Nhon, Hanoi) is good.
Reporter: Can you tell us specifically about the athletes’ diet?
Coach Dong Quoc Cuong: In Ho Chi Minh City, athletes eat 200,000 VND per day. When they came to Hanoi for training from 15 September, the athletes’ food allowance rose to 300,000 VND per day. I noticed that after each meal, little food was left over, which shows the children enjoy the food and eat with appetite.
Reporter: At the Asian Para Games 2014, do the leaders of the Vietnamese sports delegation for people with disabilities have high expectations of the swimming team?
Coach Dong Quoc Cuong: We expect to exceed our previous medal tally, namely winning 2 gold medals. But the delegation leaders hope the swimming team for people with disabilities will win 3–4 gold medals. Of course, this is the delegation leaders’ wish, and we will be determined to achieve the best results. At the Asian Para Games 2014, the team’s first event is on 19 October, with Vo Huynh Anh Khoa and Vo Thanh Tung competing; on 23 October, the team will finish its competitions at the Games.
Reporter: Thank you, and we wish the swimming team many high achievements at the Asian Para Games 2014.
Dinh Hung – http://qdnd.vn/