What will Vietnamese sports do after the 2024 Olympics?

Head of the Vietnamese sports delegation, Dang Ha Viet, affirmed that shooting will remain a key sport, receiving even stronger investment after the Olympics. In his role as Director of the Department of Sports and Physical Education, during the Paris Olympics, Mr. Viet held a meeting with the International Shooting Federation in France, requesting support from experts, equipment, ammunition, and training facilities. In another meeting with the President and Secretary-General of the Korean Shooting Federation, Vietnam also requested assistance with regular, long-term training sessions to ensure Vietnamese athletes are best prepared for the Los Angeles Olympics in four years' time. Besides pistol, the women's air rifle event is also being emphasized, even though Le Thi Mong Tuyen's performance at the 2024 Olympics was not good enough to qualify. Women's air rifle remains a sport with potential for Vietnam, but requires more specialized experts, aiming for a medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya (Japan) and ultimately a medal at the 2028 Olympics.

Mr. Hoang Quoc Vinh, Head of High-Performance Sports Department 1, Department of Sports and Physical Education, said that the sports sector will work with localities to find more new human resources for shooting. The competition system for different age groups must also be rebuilt to be more diverse, in order to discover more talents. In addition, the sports sector will propose to some relevant ministries and sectors to adjust the remuneration regime for athletes. Regarding archery, the fact that archer Do Thi Anh Nguyet only narrowly lost to her Iranian opponent with a "golden arrow" in the knockout round at the 2024 Olympics shows the commendable progress of the 23-year-old girl in her second participation in the Games. Anh Nguyet's coach, Korean expert Park Chae-soon, will continue to be trusted to train more Vietnamese archers capable of competing in the international arena. The absolute success of Korean archers in winning gold medals in all five events at the Olympics will further encourage Vietnam to continue maintaining relations with Korean archery through this expert. Vietnamese archery could aim for a medal at the 2026 Asian Games, paving the way for the 2028 Olympics.

Recalculate investment strategy

The failures of Vietnamese athletes in athletics, swimming, rowing, badminton, boxing, and cycling once again demonstrate the vast gap in skill level compared to the rest of the world. This further necessitates significant reforms in the sports sector and a reassessment of its development strategy. A decisive change in training plans, coaching, and funding is absolutely necessary to aim for the 2028 Olympics.

The sports sector will also need to be more proactive in identifying the causes and solutions to help Vietnamese athletes not only surpass their own previous achievements but also achieve more victories in international competitions. The case of swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang is a prime example. In-depth analysis is needed to clarify why Hoang failed to reach his peak performance. In both events at this year's Olympics, Hoang failed to surpass his own personal best. Vietnamese sports must develop a comprehensive plan to elevate the level of basic sports for the 2028 Olympic campaign.