Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) has selected the ten most outstanding domestic sports events in 2012.

1. Vietnam wins right to host ASIAD 2019

 

After successfully organising the 22nd SEA Games in 2003 and the third Asian Indoor Games in 2009, Vietnam has won the right to host the 18th Asian Games (ASIAD) for the first time in 2019. 

The event is scheduled for late November and early December 2019. It is expected to attract nearly 11,000 coaches and athletes representing 45 Asian countries and territories and competing in 35 sports.

2. Women win 2012 AFF football champs

 

The national football team defeated Myanmar in the final match of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Women’s Championship, claiming the 2012 title.

This is the second time Vietnamese women have won the championship. They triumphed in all five of their matches in the tournament.

3. Four players to train with Arsenal Club

 

Four of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL)-Arsenal JMG Academy’s first level trainees have been invited to train with Arsenal Club.

They are Luong Xuan Truong, Nguyen Cong Phuong, Nguyen Tuan Anh, and Tran Huu Dong Trieu. All were born in 1995.

The invitation is one of HAGL-Arsenal JMG Academy’s biggest successes to date. The academy, established in 2007, is the first of its kind in Vietnam to develop professional football.

4. Ha Thanh clinches gold in Asian champs

 

Phan Thi Ha Thanh was one of the highlights of Vietnamese sports in 2012.

With 14,700 points, she won Vietnam’s first-ever Asian vault gold at the fifth Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in China in November.

Thanh also claimed a gold medal in the women’s vault at the 2012 Toyota International Gymnastics Competition organised in Japan. She scored 14,925 points.   

5. Anh Khoi triumph in world chess tourney

 

Young Vietnamese chess player Nguyen Anh Khoi beat his Russian rival in the final round, claiming the title at November’s World Youth Chess Championship, held in Maribor, Slovenia.

He won all 11 of his matches at the tournament.

This is Vietnam’s second success in the U10 world chess championship. Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son was crowned champion 12 years ago.

6. Anh Vien sets record in swimming

 

Swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien pocketed a silver medal in the women’s 200m backstroke at the Dubai Asian Swimming Championships.

She finished second with a time of 2’15’’05, setting a new record for Vietnamese swimming in the international arena.

Vien also won a bronze medal at the same tournament, finishing third in the women’s 400 medley event with a time of 4’48”23. This surpassed her old record (4’50”32), set at the London 2012 Summer Olympics.   

7. Vietnam earns no medals at London 2012 Olympics

 

Vietnam has so far sent the largest sporting delegation to London with 18 athletes competing in 11 disciplines. However, they returned home empty-handed.

Hopefuls Tran weightlifter Le Quoc Toan, marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh, and gymnast Phan Thi Ha Thanh unluckily missed out.

Other Southeast Asian countries enjoyed better success, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.

8. Vietnam tastes bitterness in AFF Suzuki Cup 2012

 

The national squad coached by Phan Thanh Hung disappointed fans’ expectations at the 2012 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup, suffering elimination after group matches.

With two losses and one draw earning only a solitary point, the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup was Vietnamese football’s worst so far.

In the wake of the failure, coach Phan Thanh Hung resigned. The Vietnam Football Federation is considering hiring a foreign coach.

9. Domestic football is in crisis

 

Economic difficulties afflicting owners and sponsors sparked a real crisis in Vietnamese football.

A great number of football teams have been dissolved and a lot of football players are currently unemployed.

10. Scandal hits national table-tennis team

The Vietnamese table-tennis team's image was sullied when a scuffle broke out between athletes To Duc Hoang of the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group and Le Tien Dat of the Army Club during the 2012 Southeast Asian Championship in Laos. Both athletes were punished. The national table-tennis team must learn from the scandal and adjust their players' behaviour accordingly when participating in international tournaments. 

 

VOV