ASEAN towards sustainable sports development

TPO - On the morning of October 13, the 16th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS-16) officially opened in Hanoi. With the theme “Orientation of sports for sustainable development”, the conference emphasized the role of sports as a driving force for health, solidarity and social development in the region.

Delegates attending SOMS-16 showed solidarity.

The event was attended by about 200 delegates including Ministers, Deputy Ministers, heads of sports agencies of ASEAN countries and Timor Leste, and senior officials in the regional sports sector.

Speaking at the opening session, Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet - Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration - emphasized the theme of this year's conference: "Orientation of sports, contributing to sustainable development", demonstrating ASEAN's common vision in making sports a driving force for health, solidarity and social development.

According to Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet, in recent years, ASEAN sports have achieved many important milestones: the SEA Games were a great success, the mass sports movement spread strongly, and many regional athletes affirmed their position in the continental and world arenas.

However, regional sports are also facing many new challenges, from social change, international integration pressure to the need to balance achievements and comprehensive development.

Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet, Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration, spoke at the ceremony.

From that reality, ASEAN countries will continue to strengthen cooperation, focusing on key goals: developing sports for community health and welfare, improving the quality of life by encouraging people to practice sports regularly, and promoting high-performance sports associated with science and technology to improve the competitiveness of regional athletes.

Besides, preserving and promoting traditional sports is also considered an important direction to preserve identity in the context of global integration.

“Sports are not just about medals or achievements, but also about people, culture and solidarity. With the spirit of a united and dynamic ASEAN, I believe that the consensus of member countries will help us build a creative and sustainable ASEAN sports community, contributing to the common prosperity of the region,” Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet emphasized.

Immediately after the opening ceremony, SOMS-16 approved the agenda with many notable contents: final assessment of the ASEAN Action Plan on Sports 2021 - 2025, discussion of the ASEAN - FIFA Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, and update on the progress of building the ASEAN High Performance Sports Training Center in Malaysia - a key project in elevating regional sports training and development.

In the afternoon of the same day, the conference will celebrate ASEAN Sports Day and hear reports on preparations for the 33rd SEA Games and the 13th ASEAN Para Games in Thailand, two events considered a measure of the organizational capacity and solidarity of Southeast Asian sports.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/asean-huong-toi-phat-trien-the-thao-ben-vung-post1786710.tpo