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| Hue badminton has the shining young faces |
"Bamboo shoots sprouting"
Hue badminton once had Nguyen Quang Phong. At the 2005 SEA Games, Nguyen Quang Phong along with Vietnam's No.1 tennis players Nguyen Tien Minh, Nguyen Hoang Hai, Tran Thanh Hai, and Tran Quang Minh won the men's team bronze. This was the only medal whereby Vietnamese badminton ranked 5th in the entire delegation.
In the 2005 - 2015 period, besides Nguyen Quang Phong, Hue badminton also had Ngo Viet Ngoc Huy, Duong Quoc Khanh, and Tran Thi Thanh Xuan. Duong Quoc Khanh and Tran Thi Thanh Xuan were continuously awarded medals at youth tournaments. Ngo Viet Ngoc Huy always ranged in the top 6 -10 nationwide.
Ngo Viet Ngoc Huy (born 1991), had the opportunity to compete against famous Vietnamese badminton players such as Tien Minh and Tran Van Tri (Quang Tri), who led the rankings of Vietnamese badminton players (as of October 2016) with 2,800 points. There were even encounters with Tran Van Tri, and Ngo Viet Ngoc Huy was the winner.
Regrettably, while still ranked 8th in the national badminton rankings, Ngoc Huy suddenly retired (2015). The reason was to find another job to stabilize life. Along with Ngo Viet Ngoc Huy's retirement, many other names also parted in one way or another, causing Thua Thien Hue badminton to have no performances for a long time.
After a period of efforts to overcome difficulties, according to Mr. Dang Nhi Ha, Head of the Badminton Division under Thua Thien Hue Department of Culture and Sports, a promising new generation of badminton athletes has appeared.
Notably, among them is Tran Nguyen Nhat Vu, who excellently won a bronze at the 2022 National Youth Championship, a tournament ranked only behind the National Championship. Nguyen Tat Duy Loi got a gold at the 2022 National Outstanding Junior and Youth Badminton Championship and a silver at the 2022 National Age Group Badminton Championship. In addition, Nguyen Phuoc Le Phap won 2 bronzes at the 2022 National Outstanding Junior and Youth Badminton Championship. Recently, at the 2023 National Age Group Badminton Championship, Vu Uyen Nhi and Le Anh Cat Tuong also claimed a bronze.
Badminton is among 15 sports the Thua Thien Hue sports delegation registered to compete at the National Sports Games in December 2022. The Badminton Division registered 6 athletes, including 5 male athletes and 1 female athlete in 5 events: men's team, men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles. Against the previous line-up 5 years back, this line-up is almost brand new.
Launchpad of badminton
Thua Thien Hue is among the top localities nationwide in the badminton movement. In recent years, despite many difficulties, badminton has become a sport regularly present in many units, agencies, departments, and branches as well as many individuals and families in the province. The whole province has hundreds of indoor and outdoor badminton courts, many clubs, and training spots, attracting thousands of people of all ages. Aside from 9 districts, towns, and cities, the badminton movement also has been widely spread throughout communes and wards.
Worthy of note is that the movement has been developed towards socialization, along with the effective operation of badminton clubs, which creates a solid fulcrum for the discovery and training of athletes. Some names can be mentioned: Vu Bao Club, Phu Xuan Club, Huong Thuy Club, An Thuy Club, Hoang Nguyen Club…
In the overall evaluation, athletes of badminton clubs achieve good professional growth, and win many high rankings when entering open tournaments in North, Central, and South regions. Vu Bao Club is a companion to many badminton tournaments in the province. In particular, the club in coordination with the Department of Culture and Sports and the Badminton Federation of Thua Thien Hue Province organized the Thua Thien Hue Open Badminton Clubs Championship.
Recently, the 5th Open Badminton Clubs Championship of Thua Thien Hue Province gathered 33 clubs with 630 athletes inside and outside the province. Not only did it have the highest number of athletes compared with any tournament held so far, but this year's tournament also brought together most of the excellent athletes from Thua Thien Hue and many localities across the country. In 10 age groups, the athletes enthusiastically competed for 31 sets of medals, demonstrating high levels of expertise, and giving the audience spectacular matches.
Badminton is a popular sport, so the number of provinces joining in the tournament is large while that of competition events (sets of medals) is small. Therefore, it is quite difficult to win medals, affecting the level-elevating system (enjoying level-based benefits)
To develop and maintain the peak in the hope of competing against the top badminton experts, the locality must strive hard to earn many places in the national team. “Cradles" of badminton often invest heavily in practice, training (domestically and abroad), friendly matches, and even buying athletes... This is not effortless for Thua Thien Hue, encountering many difficulties.
Mr. Dang Nhi Ha said that through the province-wide badminton tournament, many promising athletes among teenagers and children have been discovered. Typically, there are Ngo Quy Tam Chau (U9), Nguyen Phuoc Le Phap, and Ho Trong Tien (U14). We believe that they will be the future hope for badminton in Hue.
Also according to Mr. Dang Nhi Ha, to arouse and keep the fire for the movement, alongside organizing championships for the provincial movement system, the culture and sports sector will coordinate with the Provincial Badminton Federation to organize open championships to attract high-achieving athletes across the country, thereby offering opportunities for badminton athletes in the province to compete, gain experience and develop more professionally…