On the morning of July 11, the closing ceremony of the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Sports Festival in 2026 took place, recognizing the successes in organization and the number of attendees. Sharing at the event, Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong - Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee emphasized that this is a Congress of special significance, the first time held in the new development space of the city after arranging administrative units.
The Congress created a widespread sports activity, arousing the spirit of physical training, consolidating community solidarity, discovering many promising factors and contributing to preparing forces for major arenas.
Summarizing the Congress, Mr. Nguyen Nam Nhan - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports said that from December 2025 to February 2026, all 168 communes, wards, and special zones in the city successfully organized grassroots-level Congresses, reaching a rate of 100%, attracting more than 112,000 participants.
This is a particularly meaningful result at a time when localities must simultaneously stabilize the organizational structure, personnel and operating methods after arrangement.
At the city level, the Congress will be held from April to May 31, 2026 with 44 official sports, 651 sets of medals and 5 response sports at more than 40 locations.
In general, at both levels, the Congress attracted more than 120,000 coaches and athletes to participate; specifically at the city level, there were more than 10,200 athletes from 152 commune and ward units and armed forces, reaching a participation rate of nearly 89% - the largest scale ever of a city-level Congress.
In terms of professional achievements, Cho Lon ward leads with 70 gold medals, 47 silver medals and 57 bronze medals; Ben Thanh ward ranks second with 50 gold medals; Saigon ward ranks third with 46 gold medals...
Through 44 sports, many achievements reached levels equivalent to or approaching national achievements; some young athletes have shown clear potential. The Games therefore both assess the essence of the movement, select forces, and create a competitive environment with sufficient pressure for athletes to mature.
According to Mr. Nguyen Nam Nhan, more importantly, the Congress helped the city form an organizational force with practical combat experience. Ten sub-committees, operating teams, referees, technical staff, volunteers and service forces have been trained through high intensity, many locations and many arising situations.
In addition to selecting athletes, this Congress also forms a "team organizing the tournament" of the city - a force that will continue to play a core role at the X National Sports Games, taking place in Ho Chi Minh City at the end of 2026.
