A ceremony to wish the Vietnamese team every success at the 2012 London Olympic Games was held on July 8 in Hanoi.
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| Vienamese athletes to join the 2012 London Olympic Games. |
A ceremony to wish the Vietnamese team every success at the 2012 London Olympic Games was held on July 8 in Hanoi.
The gymnasts and track and field athletes will leave for the teams training camp in Bradford, England, on July 10 and the rest will follow on July 20 to join competitors from over 200 countries and territories across the world.
The Vietnamese team at this games has 56 members, including 18 athletes competing in 11 sports, namely track and field events, gymnastics, swimming, weightlifting, taekwondo, Judo, shooting, fencing, rowing, badminton and wrestling.
The Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Khanh Hai, said he was delighted, as this is the largest number of athletes that Vietnam has ever sent to an Olympic Games, which reflects the development of sport in Vietnam over the years and there are high hopes of a medal.
At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Vietnam sent 13 athletes to compete in 8 sports, while only 11 representatives qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in 8 sports.
Weightlifting, martial artists and gymnasts are Vietnam 's best hopes of a medal at the forthcoming London Olympics.
Lam Quang Thanh, the head of Vietnam ’s Olympic delegation, said that the athletes were close to medal standards and they had received top class support and intensive training to increase their chances of success in London.
"We divided the team into two halves. One of the groups comprise of potential medal winners and any kind of medal would be a success. The other group will have to record their personal bests in this competition to have any chance of a medal," said Thanh.
He added that other competitors such as shooters, rowers, fencers and badminton players could also make a big impression at the tournament, which begins on July 27.
The swimming and track and field athletes that hold little chance of collecting a medal have just been asked to go out and do their best.
(Source: VNA)
