Regarding the accusation of giving up medals at the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Youth Karate Tournament, the Department of Culture and Sports issued a press release with 8 conclusions surrounding this matter.
“The Department of Culture and Sports has directed the Organizing Committee to urgently establish a delegation to work with Mr. Nguyen Manh Duong to officially inform him of the verification results and visit, explain and encourage NTM,” quoted from conclusion No. 6, in the Department’s press release on August 29.
However, speaking to Lao Dong on the evening of August 29, Mr. Nguyen Manh Duong said: "The representative of the Organizing Committee proactively called me, wanting to meet at my house to give the medal to the child.
But I asked my child, he said 'he doesn't want to receive it', so I refused. I thank the Organizing Committee for their kindness, but I don't think it's necessary."
Previously, at the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Youth Karate Tournament, athlete NTM won 1 gold medal in the performance category and 1 silver medal in the 45kg category for the 11-12 age group. In the competition category, NTM lost to an athlete from Binh Thanh district with a score of 3-11. This was the match that caused controversy, leading Mr. Nguyen Manh Duong to denounce the medal concession at the tournament.
When asked about what to do next after receiving information from the Department of Culture and Sports, Mr. Duong emphasized: “I am still thinking, because I have been too busy these past few days, I need time to think carefully. Even now, I really don’t know what to do.”
In an announcement on August 29, the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City said there was no evidence to confirm the story of giving up medals at the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Youth Karate Tournament.
Regarding individuals, the Department also decided to give a training warning and suspend all professional training activities and participation in city-level sports competitions for a period of 1 year, for coach Nguyen Thi Mong Tam (Tan Binh district).
As for the main referee Trinh Duong Khanh Thanh, he hastily announced the withdrawal of athlete NTM when Ms. Nguyen Thi Mong Tam informed him of her withdrawal, without taking the necessary steps to determine the “legitimate reason”. The Department of Culture and Sports severely criticized and stopped assigning tasks in 2024 to this referee because he had not taken steps to check the reason for the withdrawal.
