Vietnam ready to host 40 sports at SEA Games 31
VOV.VN - An additional four sports have been proposed to add to the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), raising the total figure to 40, the Southeast Asian Games Federation said during its virtual meeting on July 21-22.
The Vietnamese men's football team win a gold medal at SEA Games 30.
Representatives of participating countries had earlier proposed an additional 21 sports to the games, but the Southeast Asian Games Federation’s executive council only voiced their support for four sports, including Vovinam, a type of traditional martial arts.
Under a draft plan approved by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a total of 36 sports would get underway in 10 cities and provinces nationwide, and athletes would compete in approximately 450 categories of the games.
With four sports to be added, the total number of competing categories would not exceed 500, said Tran Duc Phan, deputy general director of the Vietnam Sports Administration.
Vietnam, which plays host to the SEA Games 31 next year, is set to unveil the list of sports and competing categories at the second meeting of the Southeast Asian Games Federation this November.
During the July 21-22 meeting, delegates agreed to raise the ratio of female athletes to total to at least 40%. However, they failed to reach a consensus on the age of players in the men’s football, and the final decision is due to be announced at the upcoming meeting.
The SEA Games 31 is scheduled to get underway between November 21 and December 2 with the My Dinh stadium in Hanoi capital hosting the opening and closing ceremonies.
Moreover, stadiums in Hanoi, and Nam Dinh, and Quang Ninh provinces will all host football matches, with the men’s fixtures being held at the My Dinh and Hang Day stadiums in Hanoi, along with the Thien Truong stadium in Nam Dinh province.
The remaining sports will get underway across 10 cities and provinces nationwide. Hanoi will host Olympic sporting events.
Northern localities such as Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, and Vinh Phuc will all serve as the home grounds for different events throughout the SEA Games 31.