Sports development strategy approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long has signed a decision approving the sports development strategy until 2030 with a vision to 2050, with an aim to promote the sector in a sustainable and professional direction.

Vietnamese men's football is set to enter the top eight in Asia and qualify for World Cup

Objectives of the strategy include ensuring that all people can access and enjoy physical and sports services, improving the achievements of Vietnamese sports to advance to the level of countries with developed sports in Asia, and expanding the sports market to mobilise and effectively use resources in developing the career of physical education and sports.

The strategy sets a target to promote physical and sports movements comprehensively and diversely among particular subjects and areas, while forming a habit of regular physical exercise among all people by 2045.

Over 95% of the students and armed forces soldiers are expected to meet physical standards, while the stature of Vietnamese youth is hoped to reach a high level in the region.

Specifically, the country will strive for a position in the top two at all Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), top 15 at Asian Games (ASIAD), and top 50 at Olympics. Vietnamese men's football is set to enter the top eight in Asia and qualify for World Cup, while women's football is hoped to rank in the top six in Asia and qualify for World Cup, according to the strategy.

It also sets goals to modernise the national sports facilities network to become qualified to host ASIAD, with at least 50% of provinces and centrally-run cities having three basic sports facilities meeting international competition standards. Meanwhile, 100% of the district-level administrative units are expected to have three standardised sports facilities, and 100% of the commune-level administrative units are hoped to have sports facilities. At the same time, 100% of the schools in the general education system are set to have sports facilities.

The strategy aims for high annual growth rates of sports economy, positively contributing to the country's economic development.

Under the strategy, community sports movements will be promoted with a hope that all people regularly practice at least one sports.

To achieve the goals, the strategy gives a number of solutions, including strongly and concertedly renovating physical and sports education in schools, continuing integrating the implementation of the projects on physical exercise development and stature of the Vietnamese people in the 2011 - 2030 period with physical education and sports activities in schools, and preserving, developing and promoting the value of traditional sports and folk games.

At the same time, it points to the need to urgently complete the grouping of sports, competition content and athlete force, and quickly build appropriate and feasible mechanisms and policies on investment and resource mobilisation for training and supporting particular group of sports and athlete force.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is assigned to implement the grouping of sports and the building a programme to develop key sports for Olympics and ASIAD in the coming period and submit it to the Prime Minister in 2025.

Particularly, organisations and individuals are encouraged to establish and run professional sports clubs and organise professional sports tournaments, and form sports training facilities in the form of companies, according to the strategy./.

VNA