In a recent interview with a VOV reporter, Hoang Vinh Giang stated many popular Vietnamese sporting events, such as gymnastics and fencing are not listed in the competition schedule for the coming SEA Games.
He added that Vietnam also hoped to introduce its traditional martial art - Vovinam–at the region’s largest sporting event.
He expressed confidence that the games will provide an excellent opportunity for local athletes to hone their professional skills and gain experience from other regional competitors who currently rank among the world’s top athletes in many events, including badminton, boxing, and table tennis.
According to Giang, the host team is likely to secure the highest position in the medal tally because many of the events in the games programme are geared towards their strengths, such as chess and sepak takraw.
Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia are all viewed as strong competitors for the top three.
Myanmar has almost completed its preparatory work for the 27th SEA Games, with the addition of a brand new purpose-built village for athletes.
However, Giang did raise some concerns regarding travel at the games due to inconvenient domestic flights to two of the main competition venues, Naypyidaw and Yangon.
vov.vn
