Target pressure
The last time Vietnamese sports won an Olympic Gold Medal was in 2016 in shooting. In the ASIAD arena, the last time Vietnamese sports won a Gold Medal was at the 2023 tournament held in Hangzhou - China in shooting, cloud football and karate.
In the Strategy for the development of physical education and sports in Vietnam to 2030, with a vision to 2045, approved by the Government and effective from October 15, 2024, the goal set for high-performance sports in Vietnam is to strive to achieve from 5 to 7 Gold Medals at the ASIAD, with medals at the Olympics and Paralympics.
According to the summary report of the Program for the Development of Key Sports (2026-2046) of the Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports, in the period of 2026 - 2030, Vietnamese sports aim to enter the top 20 at the ASIAD, including winning 5 Gold Medals at the 2026 ASIAD and 6 Gold Medals at the 2030 ASIAD, and winning 2 Bronze Medals at the 2028 Olympics.
Next, in the period of 2030 - 2036, continue to maintain in the top 20 at the ASIAD with the target of 7 Gold Medals. The 2034 ASIAD Olympics set a goal of winning 2 Bronze Medals and the 2036 Olympics winning 1 Silver Medal, 2 Bronze Medals. In the 2036 - 2046 period, strive to enter the top 15 at the ASIAD and top 50 at the Olympics.
The sports industry is developing professional plans to recruit athletes, while focusing on investing in appropriate sports and competition content, with the goal of achieving the highest results. This is a problem that requires long-term preparation in terms of time and close coordination between many units and the Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports - Mr. Hoang Quoc Vinh - Head of the High-performance Sports Department (Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports) - shared at the Workshop on giving comments on the development of key sports, towards the 2026-2046 Olympics and ASIAD held on March 28.
Investing in 17 key sports
At the workshop, the Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports has preliminarily selected 17 key sports, aiming to invest most focused in the goal of winning Gold Medals at the ASIAD and the Olympics, divided into 2 groups. Group 1 is a strong sport with the potential to compete for Olympic medals including shooting, archery, weightlifting, taekwondo, boxing, fencing, boat racing, badminton - with about 100 to 110 athletes focused on long-term training and coaching abroad.
Group 2 is a potential and highly likely competition for medals at the ASIAD, including athletics, judo, karate, wushu, gymnastics, weightlifting, swimming, cloud bridge, cycling - with about 65 to 70 athletes, combined with training in the country and sending for short-term training and competition abroad under a special regime. However, from the perspective of experts and practitioners at sports federations and associations, what factors need to be built to focus on investing in key sports will be discussed.
Vietnamese sports have certain strengths in some events and sports for the ASIAD and Olympic arenas. If we make good use of investment and find suitable people, the possibility of success in the big arena will be very promising.
However, to do this, Vietnamese sports need to implement the goals of developing a team of athletes, coaches, and professional referees nationwide to meet the task of winning medals at the Olympics and ASIAD according to the set strategy. At the same time, perfecting a system of modern equipment and tools that meet international standards, applying achievements in science and technology, ensuring training and competition for high-performance athletes...
However, investing in high-performance sports is not only the task of the Department of Physical Education and Sports, but also requires the participation of localities and related units.
