The event in Thailand is the 33rd edition in the history of the Sports Festival, with Vietnamese sports being the 19th time since the country's reunification. Experts and fans have all seen the strong growth of Vietnamese sports in the regional arena. Since entering the 21st century, Vietnamese sports have always been in the Top 3 groups for total medals, including the 3rd time in the whole group. Vietnamese sports have become a worthy counterpart to strong sports in Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia.
Taking place from December 9 to 20, the 33rd SEA Games is a "report" by the teams, coaches, and athletes after many months of efforts to practice, prepare, and compete actively in domestic and foreign tournaments. Glory means pride. Each medal is the result of countless drops of sweat, of many days of thinking and worrying about the strategy from the most elite team of Vietnamese sports today. The victory is also to affirm the value of each individual athlete in particular, of Vietnamese sports in the regional arena.
For a long time, people have been talking about the SEA Games as a "chance to change lives", "an opportunity to improve income" for athletes because of valuable bonuses. But for Vietnamese sports to develop further, that mindset should be placed last in the list of goals. As experts have said for many years, when Vietnamese sports are in the top of the region, the SEA Games should not be the final destination to strive for. higher is Asia, wider is the world.
There are still sports that face difficulties in competing even in the region, but in the overall picture, it is necessary to set specific goals, visions and actions to know the path to follow. Let's start from the SEA Games, considering this an opportunity to train, experience, and create a foundation for young athletes. Of course, it is a long journey, but the long journey must also start from the first step.
