ASIAD 2019: opportunities and challenges

(VOV) - Hosting the 2019 Asian Games (ASIAD) will help promote Vietnam’s image across Asia and the world, but may also pose challenges for the host country.

Tran Van Manh, General Secretary of the Vietnam Olympic Committee, has granted an interview to VOV following the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) recent decision to select Vietnam as the host nation of ASIAD 2019.

 

Vietnamese delegates were filled with joy after the OCA announced the decision

He shed further light on the opportunities and challenges Vietnam could encounter in organising the event.  

VOV: How would you evaluate the OCA’s recent decision?
Manh: It is Vietnam’s great honour to host such a regional sporting event. ASIAD 2019 will be an important landmark in the history of Vietnam’s Olympic movement. It will also have a major impact on other socio-economic affairs.

The 2019 Asian Games will test Vietnam’s capacity to organise big international sport events as it is expected to attract more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and territories.

More importantly, the event will help promote Vietnam, its land and people not only in Asia but also throughout the world.

VOV: Have you drafted any roadmap for organising this event?
Manh: We will submit a detailed plan to the Prime Minister for approval. I think we should focus on the organizational work, infrastructure upgrades, and athlete training.

An OCA delegation recently made a fact-finding tour of Vietnam to inspect prospective venues to host Games competitions, and they all spoke approvingly of our infrastructure.  

In my view, Vietnam should continue to use and upgrade the existing facilities and build new ones meeting international standards.

About 80 percent of the facilities will be upgraded, and the remainder will be newly built, with 245hectares of land in Hanoi’s outlying district of Dong Anh reserved for this project.

Last but not least, investments should be poured into training athletes to ensure Vietnam will be among the top ten on the medal tally.

VOV: How will the sports sector mobilize funding for the event?
Manh: Financial sources will mainly come from the State budget. We will also call for additional funds from businesses, organizations and individuals.

Mời quý độc giả theo dõi VOV.VN trên