Vietnamese bodybuilders compete in Hungary

Vietnam has sent four competitors to take part in the 5th WBPF World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships in Budaörs, Hungary, from November 13-17.

Among them, former world champions Nguyen Van Lam (65kg), Pham Van Mach (60kg) and Asian Championships winner Nguyen Anh Thong (60kg), are also part of the national team who will compete at the SEA Games in Myanmar next month. Luong Thi Ngoc Anh will represent Ho Chi Minh City in the women's category.

The competition will be run in the following categories: Women’s Fitness Physique, Men’s Fitness Physique, Women’s Athletic Physique, Men’s Athletic Physique, Women’s Model Physique, Women’s Bodybuilding, Men’s Bodybuilding.

Sanctioned by the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation (WBPF) and supported by the mayors from the city of Budaörs, the event is expected to welcome more than 350 competitors and 8,000 spectators.

Budaörs is a small city situated in a picturesque environment, at the southern edge of the Buda Hills and offers a harmonic combination of widely recognised works of contemporary architecture, breath-taking natural surroundings and monuments of our historical past. Budaörs can be called the western gate of its immediate neighbour, Budapest.-

Vietnamese players clinch Masters Xiangqi Champs

Nguyen Thanh Bao from Hanoi took the men’s title and Dam Thi Thuy Dung from Ho Chi Minh City won the women’s event at the National Masters Xiangqi (Chinese chess) Championships, which wrapped up on November 11 in the northern province of Thai Nguyen.

Thanh Bao finished on 7.5 points with Truong A Minh from Ho Chi Minh City, but he took the gold medal with a better sub-index after nine matches. Dang Cuu Tung Lam from the southern province of Binh Phuoc came third with 6.5 points.

In the women's category, Dam Thi Thuy Dung overcame powerful rivals including Asian silver medallist Nguyen Hoang Yen and 10-time winner Ngo Lan Huong to take the crown with 5.5 points. Nguyen Phi Liem from Hanoi finished second while Hoang Yen and Lan Huong only managed to claim third and fourth position, respectively.

This year’s event drew the participation of 38 male and 8 female players from Thai Nguyen, Hanoi, Da Nang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Ho Chi Minh City and the Army team. In the men’s category, participants battled it out following a nine-round Swiss system, while the female competitors played a round robin to select the winner.

The annual tournament offered a good opportunity for players to sharpen their skills while providing coaches a chance to select the best players for the national team in preparation for the upcoming regional and world competitions.

At last year’s event, Uong Duong Bac from the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau bagged the gold medal in the men’s title, while Nguyen Hoang Yen from Ho Chi Minh City dominated the women’s section.-

Tennis players to perform at Toyota invitational

Viet Nam will send a dozen players to take part in the Toyota AEC Championships, a tennis invitational tournament, in Thailand from November 22-26.

Six men and six women who have impressed during qualifiers for the Fed Cup, Davis Cup and the national championships were summoned by coach Michael Baroch in October.

They will compete in the men's and women's singles, doubles and team events.

As Myanmar has excluded tennis from the SEA Games' schedule, the Toyota event is considered the unofficial ASEAN Championships, gathering almost every country in the region.

The Viet Nam Tennis Federation hopes their athletes will finish in the top three in the overall standings.

Cyclists gear up for Nam Ky Khoi Nghia tour

The annual Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Cycling Tour will set off on November 17 from HCM City with the participation of 70 athletes from 13 teams.

The cyclists will tour seven stages through five cities and provinces over 850km.

The first stage is from HCM City to Phan Thiet City in Binh Thuan Province.

The 16th tournament, organised by the Voice of HCM City, will conclude on November 23.