Vietnamese sports rush to prepare for SEA Games 33

Thousands of athletes training at national sports training centers are actively practicing for the 33rd SEA Games. The goal of Vietnamese sports is to be at the top of the games.

Vietnam athletics set a target of winning 12-14 gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games - Photo: NAM TRAN

The 33rd SEA Games will take place from December 9 to 20, 2025 in three provinces and cities including Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla (Thailand). The goal of the Vietnamese sports delegation is to win 80-100 gold medals.

Come to Thailand with about 1,000 members

According to information from the Department of Physical Training and Sports, the Vietnamese sports delegation is expected to attend the 33rd SEA Games with about 1,000 members including athletes, coaches, experts, officials and doctors; competing in 45 out of 66 sports and sub-sports at the congress.

The sports competitions of the Vietnamese sports delegation are divided into 3 groups, in which the main group competing for gold medals includes athletics, swimming, shooting, archery, wrestling, taekwondo, karate, weightlifting, fencing, canoeing, gymnastics, boxing, judo, football, table tennis, indoor volleyball, handball, petanque, 3x3 basketball, golf, sepak takraw, cycling, chess...

On September 17, Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet - Director of the Department of Sports and Physical Training - inspected the preparation of athletes to participate in international sports events in 2025 at the National High-Level Athlete Training Center in Hanoi (Nhon).

This year, Nhon is the training center for more than 1,000 athletes from 43 sports teams. Of which, nearly 800 coaches and athletes from 23 teams are focusing on the goal of SEA Games 33 at the end of 2025 and Asiad 2026. The leaders of Nhon Center said that all teams are guaranteed a full nutritional regimen and supplemented with functional foods. However, many teams currently lack recovery doctors.

Head coach of the athletics team Nguyen Manh Hieu said the coaching staff proposed to repair the athletics field because of its deteriorating quality. He also suggested that the sports industry upgrade the gym and add doctors to help athletes recover their health and fitness as the training volume increases.

The karate, wushu, sepak takraw, and taekwondo teams also requested more doctors to take care of the health and recovery of their athletes. The judo team coach requested to buy more massage machines and ice machines for the athletes to use after practice.

Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet said he would immediately buy an ice maker to help athletes recover after training. Mr. Viet agreed to the plan to send some key teams to train in and outside the country, at suitable locations before the 33rd SEA Games.

It is recommended that the Vietnam Sports Hospital send medical staff to support the care and recovery of athletes in preparation for the Games. The functional foods that athletes use during this time must be carefully checked to avoid any unnecessary cases related to doping (banned substances).

Nguyen Thi Oanh (561) - the golden hope of Vietnamese athletics at SEA Games 33 - Photo: NAM TRAN

Athletics set target to win 12-14 gold medals at SEA Games 33

At the 32nd SEA Games in 2023, Vietnamese athletics won 12 gold medals out of 47 events and lost the No. 1 position in Southeast Asia to Thailand (16 gold medals). The target for athletics was to win 14-16 gold medals but failed.

Previously, at the 31st SEA Games in 2022 at home, Vietnamese athletics won 22 gold medals and ranked first. That year, Thailand only won 12 gold medals. At the 30th SEA Games in 2019 in the Philippines, Vietnamese athletics also dominated the number 1 position in Southeast Asia when they won 16 gold medals, ranking above Thailand (12 gold medals).

According to Tuoi Tre's research, the athletics department's goal registered with the Department of Physical Training and Sports is to win 12-14 gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games. The biggest hope for Vietnamese athletics at the Games is still athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh (1,500m, 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m, 10,000m); the 400m men's and women's events, the 400m men's and women's relay...

Head coach of the athletics team Nguyen Manh Hieu said that from October 1 to 23, the women's 400m team will train in France under the guidance of coach Nguyen Thi Bac. The men's 400m, men's 800m, men's 1,500m, and high jump teams are expected to train in Nanning (China) from mid-October to mid-November. The 33rd SEA Games will take place in Thailand, the race between Vietnam and Thailand athletics will become more intense and this year is predicted to be a fierce competition for Vietnamese athletics and sports.

Before the 33rd SEA Games took place, Vietnamese athletics received sad news when "speed queen" Tran Thi Nhi Yen (women's 100m, 200m) left the team to go to university. This was a big loss for Vietnamese athletics, because Nhi Yen was once considered a special young talent of Vietnamese sports.

Athletes participating in SEA Games must undergo gender testing

Under new regulations of world athletics, from September 2025 female athletes must meet additional conditions to compete. All athletes who want to compete in the female category must take a once-in-a-lifetime SRY gene test - a method to determine biological sex. The test can be done by taking a sample from inside the cheek or a blood sample.

Accordingly, all female athletes of Vietnam athletics participating in the 33rd SEA Games must undergo SRY testing. It is known that the cost for each athlete in one test is about 1.5 million VND and can be conducted at many medical facilities in the country.

KHUONG XUAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/the-thao-viet-nam-gap-rut-chuan-bi-cho-sea-games-33-20250922103125251.htm