The General Department of Sports and Sports agrees to let Ly Hoang Nam not attend the 32nd SEA Games

This morning, the General Department of Sports and Sports had a meeting with four parties, including the High Performance Sports Department, the National Sports Training Center in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam Tennis Federation (VTF) and the Hai Dang Tennis Club. Here, Deputy General Director Tran Duc Phan confirmed his acceptance of the application not to attend the 32nd SEA Games sent by Ly Hoang Nam, coach Tran Quoc Phong and expert Ivan Miranda of Hai Dang Club on February 7. The reason is to coincide with the training and competition schedule towards the goal of qualifying for the Grand Slam Ronald Garros 2023.

"We create all conditions if athletes plan to be promoted," Phan said. "Hoang Nam can completely continue to contribute to Vietnamese tennis at ASIAD 2022 and other international tournaments in the future."

Hoang Nam won two gold medals in men's singles tennis at the last two SEA Games for Vietnam. The player born in 1997 recently proposed to receive a training allowance of 50 million VND/month for three months before the 32nd SEA Games, and at the same time receive 200 million VND in bonus if he wins the gold medal. Mr. Phan confirmed that this was the case, but it was not because of money that Hoang Nam did not attend as some sources reported. "If such an inference is wrong, it will cause misunderstanding and affect athletes," Phan said.

The meeting at the headquarters of the General Department of Sports and Sports lasted for three hours to resolve problems between the parties, especially between VTF and Hai Dang Club after the play-off of group two of the Davis Cup 2023. Hai Dang's representative said that VTF lacks responsibility. With the Vietnamese tennis team, including the problem of coaches and athletes, they have to pay for their own meals, salaries and no means of transportation when they attend the Davis Cup in Bac Ninh in early February. VTF believes that the responsibility lies with China. Ho Chi Minh City National Coach Center - the governing body of the team.

Deputy General Director Tran Duc Phan assessed that the misunderstanding between the parties lies in the lack of thorough information exchange. However, the units need to actively do their best to help the team have the best preparation and focus on expertise. "This is a lesson to learn in other sports tournaments in the future," said Mr. Phan.