On September 22, the Flag Hoisting Ceremony for the Vietnam Sports Delegation was solemnly conducted at the ASIAD 19 Athletes’ Village Square in Hangzhou, China.
Attending the ceremony were Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong; Head of the Vietnam Sports Delegation to ASIAD 19 Dang Ha Viet, along with officials, coaches, and athletes from various national sports teams.
Vietnam Sports Delegation at the Flag Hoisting Ceremony at ASIAD 19.
Participating in the flag-raising ceremony on the morning of September 22 were delegations from other countries and territories, including Macau (China), Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Timor Leste, and Turkmenistan. During the ceremony, representatives from the ASIAD 19 Organizing Committee extended warm greetings to the participating delegations and presented commemorative gifts.
Dang Ha Viet, Head of the Sports Authority of Vietnam and Head of the Vietnam Sports Delegation to ASIAD 19 highly praised the reception of delegations, the facilities at the Athletes’ Village, and especially the training and competition venues.
Additionally, the Vietnam Sports Delegation received enthusiastic support from the Vietnamese Embassy in China and the Consulate General of Vietnam in Shanghai. Mr. Nguyen The Tung, Consul General of Vietnam in Shanghai, stated, “The Vietnamese Embassy has assigned dedicated officers to coordinate with the delegation. The Consulate General in Shanghai, in collaboration with Vietnam Airlines, has arranged transportation and reception for our national teams arriving in Shanghai. Moreover, the Consulate General has worked with the Vietnamese Student Association in China to support and cheer for our teams at the competition venues.”
On the evening of September 23, the ASIAD 19 Opening Ceremony will take place. In preparation for the event, the Vietnam Sports Delegation has completed the registration of the marching contingent members. Notably, there has been a change in the position of the flag bearers during the opening ceremony. Initially, Bui Thi Khiem (Taekwondo) and Nguyen Huy Hoang (Swimming) were selected as the flag bearers for the Vietnam Sports Delegation. However, due to the remote location of the Taekwondo team’s residence from the central stadium, the flag-bearing position has been changed from Bui Thi Khiem to Nguyen Thi Huong (Shooting).
The Vietnam Sports Delegation, consisting of 504 members, including 22 sports teams, 11 experts, 90 coaches, and 337 athletes competing in 31 out of 40 sports and 202 out of 483 event categories, is striving to achieve 2 to 5 gold medals. Additionally, they aim to have numerous athletes qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
While ASIAD 19 officially commences from September 23 to October 8, some events such as men’s football, rowing, and table tennis have been organized in advance.
Duc Hai