Vietnam happy to live up to Olympic motto
HANOI - The only medal count that Vietnam is
looking for is one, and it doesn't matter if it's gold, silver
or bronze.
The country that was ravaged by revolution and war until
1975 will be participating in its fifth Olympic Games in
Sydney next month -- and hoping for its first-ever medal.
With the introduction of taekwondo as an official sport,
the prospects are better than ever because two women
survived qualification matches to gain spots on a national
team that will consist of only seven or eight athletes. A
request to add a judo athlete is pending.
Ly Gia Thanh, treasurer and chief of the national Olympic
committee secretariat, smiled when asked whether
Vietnam would be happy with a bronze or coveted a
silver or even a gold. "Any medal. It doesn't matter,'' he
said. "Participation in the Olympics is already a success
for Vietnam. The athletes understand the Olympic motto
that to participate is more important than winning a
medal. It would be great if they win, but we only want
them to do their best.''
The top prospects appear to be the taekwondo athletes,
Nguyen Thi Xuan Mai at 49 kilograms and Tran Hieu
Ngan at 59 kilograms. Also participating will be Vu Bich
Huong in the women's 100-meter hurdles, Luong Tich
Thien in the men's 100-meter dash, two short-distance
swimmers and a rapid-fire pistol shooter.
Recognized as a member of the International Olympic
Committee in 1980, the country's first Games were in
Moscow the same year when many Western countries,
including the United States, boycotted over the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan.
Vietnam stayed home as part of the East bloc boycott in
Los Angeles in 1984 but has been to each Summer
Games since then, with six athletes competing in Atlanta
four years ago.
China, its much larger fellow communist neighbour,
targets some potential Olympic athletes before they even
start school, a system that Vietnam is in the process of
cultivating among its 76 million people. And the country
slowly is branching out into unfamiliar sports like
baseball, basketball and tennis. "We have to concentrate
on traditional sports that we are strong in,'' Thanh said.
"Our only focus now is on sports in which we have
chances to win in regional competitions like the Southeast
Asian games.''
Vietnam has four main training centers for athletes. Three
are in the main cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and
Danang, with the army running the fourth.
The main sport by far in Vietnam is soccer, with victories
by the national team sparking mad, post-midnight
motorbike races through the streets of major cities. But
the country didn't make it through the qualifying process
for Sydney and also has yet to reach the World Cup
finals.
State-run Vietnam television will broadcast some
Olympic events live -- the country is three hours behind
Sydney -- along with nightly wrapups
Associated Press - August 12, 2000.
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