Vietnam targets 400 international title-winning athletes by 2035

By Hoang Nguyen March 8, 2019 | 07:58 pm PT

Pencak silat athlete Nguyen Duy Tuyen won gold for Vietnam at SEA Games 29 in 2017. Pencak silat has been set a key factor in Vietnam's 15-year sports development program. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Duong

Vietnam has kicked off a 15-year project to turn the nation into a regional sporting powerhouse.

The project, approved by Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam, aims to make Vietnam an Asian sports powerhouse by 2035 by improving the quality, discovery and training of talented athletes as well as experts in key sports and games.

Vietnam will select and enhance training conditions for 3,700 athletes, among which 400 are expected to win international titles. The country will also select 600 coaches in the period, including 60 highly qualified persons with the ability to train winners at regional, continental and international events.

The project will cover 32 key sports, including track and field, swimming, weightlifting, taekwondo, shooting, archery, boxing, gymnastics, football, cycling, rowing, karate, pencak silat and wushu.

This year, among the leading events that Vietnam will participate in are the SEA Games 30, ASEAN Para Games 10 in the Philippines, the first World Beach Games in the U.S., and the qualifying rounds for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games.