The 33rd SEA Games needs to break village pond prejudice

For many years, the SEA Games has often been prejudiced as a "village". It is easy to understand why fans make this comment. Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh - Former Head of the Vietnam Sports delegation explained: Many people call the SEA Games village due to their low regional level and small scale.

I did not mention the meaning of that phrase, but we must recognize that the organization of the SEA Games is still slow, the regulations are not strict and depend on the host at each stage".

However, Mr. Minh also emphasized that, ignoring subjective factors from the host country, the SEA Games arena is suitable for athletes to compete, compete and confidently aim for larger arenas.

Despite some shortcomings, the Southeast Asian Games still plays an important role in the process of accumulating experience and training the athletes' bravery.

During the preparation for the 33rd SEA Games, sharing with Lao Dong, Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet - Director of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet affirmed that the sports industry is not allowed to take any tournaments lightly.

"From the ASIAD, the Olympics to the SEA Games, no tournament is without pressure. Coaches and athletes must strive from domestic to international tournaments. We do not consider any tournament as a premise, because every tournament has its own important task".

Mr. Viet also emphasized that the 33rd SEA Games is an opportunity to verify Vietnam's strategy of rejuvenating forces: "We are investing systematically in young forces, but still depend on inherited human resources. Each content and weight class must be calculated in accordance with the physical condition of Vietnamese people. We focus on strengths but do not ignore other contents".

In fact, over the years, the SEA Games have been the starting point for many Vietnamese athletes before taking to the big arena. Nguyen Thi Oanh (athletics), Nguyen Huy Hoang, Anh Vien (swimming), Quang Huy, Thu Vinh (shooting), Xuan Thien, Khanh Phong (physical equipment) or Anh Nguyet, Quoc Phong (archery)... all have matured from the SEA Games, then improved their achievements and perfected their expertise to participate in the ASIAD, even won tickets to the Olympics and compete for medals.

A typical example is former shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh. He grew up from many regional tournaments, then advanced to the ASIAD, continental tournaments and finally made history with the 2016 Olympic gold medal.

Not only Vietnam, but also strong countries in the region such as Thailand or Indonesia consider the SEA Games an important playground for investment.

Thailand has continuously poured large resources into high-performance sports, built a system of systematic training for young athletes, and organized many domestic tournaments that meet continental standards to prepare for the force.

Indonesia also promotes overseas training, invites international experts and adds naturalized athletes in sports such as athletics, basketball, swimming and weightlifting... All to affirm its position in the region.

This investment has caused the competitiveness of the SEA Games to increase rapidly, especially in the Asian and Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, archery, shooting, etc. These are events that require athletes to make more efforts to keep up with the level of other powers.

That is also the reason why the SEA Games cannot simply be considered a " village". For many young athletes, this is the first tournament they face medal pressure, expectations and psychological collisions to mature.

For strong teams in the region, the SEA Games is a test of strength before entering the continental playground. For fans, this is a place to witness the maturity of the talents who will represent Vietnam in the ASIAD and Olympics in the future.

The 33rd SEA Games will continue to be a place for Vietnamese athletes to practice their mettle, demonstrate their abilities and accumulate experience in the face of further goals.