Unprecedented experiences with “Cycling for Peace Day”

That is the affirmation and also the very attractive invitation of the Organizing Committee of the "Biking Festival for Peace " which will take place in the sacred land of Quang Tri on the upcoming 2 days of June 29-30. This sports and cultural event is organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper in coordination with Quang Tri province...

Hien Luong-Ben Hai National Special Historical Relic Site, where the parade for "Cycling Day for Peace" begins - Photo: THANH LOC

As the opening event for the first Peace Festival held in Quang Tri, “Cycling Day for Peace” is expected to bring many expectations. In addition to promoting the sports cycling movement that is increasingly developing in Quang Tri in particular and the whole country in general, this event also honors the value of peace, introduces and promotes the image, culture, land and people of Quang Tri...

According to journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, the “Cycling for Peace Festival” is more than just a race, especially when it is held in the sacred land of the Fatherland. “Sports competitions always determine winners and losers, but in this event, in addition to encouraging the spirit of sports, we also want to honor the values of peace that people can only feel when coming to Quang Tri land,” Mr. Toan emphasized.

Many messages are conveyed

According to the organizers' schedule, the festival will take place over 2 days. On June 29, there will be a parade from the Hien Luong - Ben Hai National Historical Site to the Truong Son National Martyrs' Cemetery to Fidel Park (Dong Ha City) with a total length of 42 km. Meanwhile, on June 30, the 2024 Quang Tri Province Cycling Tournament "Peaceful Destination" will take place around the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel.

Mr. Le Minh Tuan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VH,TT&DL) of Quang Tri province, affirmed: "Cycling Festival for Peace" will be true to its name because athletes, delegates as well as cycling enthusiasts will have many unprecedented experiences. "Integrated into the parade and racing events, we incorporate many gratitude activities, gratitude and some symbolic activities of sports. These experiences are not easy to have if the athletes do not come to Quang Tri and participate in this festival", Mr. Tuan said.

Unprecedented experiences with “Cycling for Peace Day”

Cycling is a sport that is growing strongly in many localities - Photo: INDEPENDENCE

To further elaborate on Mr. Tuan's suggestions, Mr. Le Do Nhu Hoai, Head of the Department of Sports Management, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Tri, Standing member of the festival's Organizing Committee, said that at the parade on June 29, it is expected that 300 cyclists will go first, and 300 delegates will follow behind (the delegation will only travel 3 km and then disband).

“When passing Hien Luong Bridge, 70 female students will release doves to symbolize the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement on July 20 (1954 - 2024; the 70th anniversary of the Vinh Linh tradition on August 25 (1954 - 2024),” said Mr. Hoai.

Next, at the Truong Son National Martyrs Cemetery, the delegation will stop to burn incense to pay tribute to heroic martyrs, and give gifts to families with revolutionary contributions and poor students who have overcome difficulties.

The Organizing Committee does not charge any fee for those who want to participate in the "Cycling for Peace Day" as athletes. To register, individuals and organizations can go to the address (https://forms.gle/ DJZRGswJuT3tichNA) and fill in the information in the form. Or contact directly via 2 phone numbers: 0914.751.466 (Mr. Vo Van Duc, Chairman of the Quang Tri Province Sports Cycling Club) or 0914.529.345 (Mr. Le Viet Anh, specialist of the Department of Sports Management, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Tri Province).

The parade will continue to Fidel Park (Dong Ha City). Here, athletes and delegates will sign and write messages on a 54 square meter festival flag (representing the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam). And this flag will be sent to the UNESCO Committee, as a message from peace lovers.

“This parade is a highlight of the “Cycling for Peace Day”. Therefore, all athletes must attend the event if they want to compete in the official race that will take place a day later”, Mr. Hoai emphasized.

Using...high-tech timing systems

According to information from the organizing committee, the 2024 Quang Tri Province Cycling Tournament “Peaceful Destination” will take place around Quang Tri Ancient Citadel on the morning of June 30. At the opening ceremony, athletes will also participate in the ceremony, paying tribute to the heroic martyrs who fell in this sacred place.

The tournament will have 3 competitions for 3 age groups of men (18-39 years old, 40-50 years old, 51 years old and above) with the same distance of 30 km. Meanwhile, there is no age limit for women to compete in the 20 km. Athletes will cycle around Quang Tri Ancient Citadel (each lap is more than 2 km).

According to Mr. Hoai, although this is a grassroots cycling race, the organizers have "played big" by using a high-tech electronic timing system (a device that calculates the athlete's race completion time accurately and completely automatically) to ensure fairness for the tournament.

“Each athlete is given an active Chip device to wear on their left ankle. This helps the organizers easily identify athletes when they start, finish or need medical assistance and measure the athlete's running time. This chip will help the organizers accurately record the finishing time, limiting cheating on the athletes' achievements. At the same time, it connects to the flycam system to take photos of each athlete. The evaluation of the completion time is completely automatic, ensuring absolute fairness of the race. Therefore, although the cost of renting this device is quite expensive, we still decided to rent and use it to ensure the results are accurate to the second, avoiding unnecessary controversies,” Mr. Hoai emphasized.

As the host, it goes without saying that the racers of Quang Tri province are eagerly awaiting the opening day of the “Cycling for Peace Festival”. According to Mr. Vo Van Duc, Chairman of the Quang Tri Province Sports Cycling Club, the club will “launch” about 20 athletes to compete with other clubs at home and abroad. According to Mr. Duc, there are now dozens of cycling clubs across the country registered to participate in the festival with a total of about 300 athletes. “We have sent invitations and actively encouraged cycling clubs from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand... to participate in the festival to enrich the event”, Mr. Duc said.

At this point, the logistics have been carefully prepared. All that remains is to wait for the day the peace trucks roll...

Nguyen Phuc

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