Vietnam Volleyball Federation bans Dang Thi Hong from competing forever

(NLDO) - After being suspended from competing at the U21 World Cup by the International Volleyball Federation, Dang Thi Hong continues to be banned from competing indefinitely in Vietnam.

Dang Thi Hong's indefinite ban from competition is one of the contents of the decision approved by the Vietnam Volleyball Federation (VFV) at a recent meeting of the federation's Executive Committee to prepare for activities in the last months of 2025.

Dang Thi Hong not named

Among the discussed issues regarding the expertise, tournament organization, and preparation of the Vietnamese men's and women's volleyball teams to participate in the 33rd SEA Games, VFV leaders and professional departments agreed to ban "ineligible athletes - determined by FIVB - from participating in tournaments in the official competition system of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation until further decision".

Dang Thi Hong (12) was removed from the final matches of the Vietnam U21 team.

Although no specific athlete was mentioned, everyone understood who VFV wanted to target. With this decision, player Dang Thi Hong - a Thai Nguyen player who was loaned by the Bank of Industry and Trade Club to compete in phase 1 - will not be able to compete in phase 2 of the 2025 National Championship. This 19-year-old player will also not be able to participate in tournaments in the official system of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation in the near future.

At the recent U21 Women's Volleyball World Championship held in Indonesia, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced that a Vietnamese player was not eligible to compete in the tournament. Along with banning this player from continuing to compete, FIVB also announced the cancellation of the results and the defeat of the U21 Vietnam team in four matches against U21 Indonesia, U21 Argentina, U21 Canada and U21 Serbia.

U21 Vietnam's journey at the world tournament is overshadowed by FIVB's disciplinary incident

Although the official announcement of FIVB did not name any players, in the remaining matches of the tournament, the coaching board of the Vietnam U21 team removed captain Dang Thi Hong. The Vietnam U21 team lost the right to participate in the round of 16 and had to compete for the 17th-24th place.

At that time, VFV leaders issued a notice that they would coordinate with relevant authorities to resolve the incident in order to protect the rights and honor of athletes and the reputation of Vietnamese volleyball.

Up to now, the website or media channels of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation have not had any announcement about whether FIVB has responded to the complaints from Vietnam or not. A high-ranking official of VFV frankly replied "not allowed to speak" and the person responsible for speaking for VFV has always had his phone in "unreachable" status.

Dang Hong's playing career ended at the age of 19.

When VFV changed its views on Dang Thi Hong

VFV itself once stated that Dang Thi Hong's case was just a "birth certificate problem", not a gender fraud or the use of banned substances in competition. However, while international volleyball officials have not responded specifically (or have responded in writing but have not been published by VFV), VFV itself has suddenly changed its stance. By "punishing" its athlete at this time, is VFV admitting that FIVB was right and VFV itself was wrong from the start and very seriously wrong, and it is not even clear what was wrong (!?).

The decision to ban Dang Thi Hong from competing was issued very quickly, showing VFV's determination to comply with international regulations. However, what was the reason and was there any influence or encouragement that caused Dang Thi Hong to make a mistake, so that now this young athlete has become a "scapegoat"?

Dang Thi Hong and the U19 team participated in the Asian tournament and won tickets to the world tournament. If VFV had been strict and thoroughly inspected from the beginning at every stage, would everything have "collapsed" and caused the reputation of Vietnamese volleyball to drop as low as it is now?

Is Dang Hong becoming a "scapegoat"?

Another problem that has emerged as a consequence of VFV's decision is that the above determination has not been applied in an even, fair and transparent manner. Dang Thi Hong's case did not cause as much of a stir as Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen's, but why is VFV "one side is more important than the other"?

Is it true that Bich Tuyen "wisely" withdrew her name before the world tournament, did not receive any reaction from international volleyball governing bodies, so she was naturally "safe" and not "sanctioned" by VFV's decision?

Bich Tuyen is likely to not be able to attend SEA Games 33 even though she can still play in the national tournament.

No one and no organization has determined the gender of Bich Tuyen or Dang Thi Hong, for ethical and human rights reasons.

However, once it is determined that compliance with FIVB regulations and determination of gender identity disorder for athletes to ensure eligibility to participate in tournaments in Vietnam's official competition system is necessary and needs to be carried out according to FIVB's specific instructions, Vietnamese volleyball is in dire need of fair and transparent solutions.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/vi-sao-lien-doan-bong-chuyen-viet-nam-cam-thi-dau-vinh-vien-voi-dang-thi-hong-196250912135039066.htm