The traditional ceremony, held jointly by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Paralympic Association, aimed to raise the athletes’ spirits and confidence before they compete in the region’s biggest sporting event for the disabled.
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Le Khanh Hai, praised the training of the Vietnamese squad, encouraging them to be confident and play fairly to bring glory to their homeland.
Also at the ceremony, Vu Van Xoan, member of the table tennis team, represented the other athletes to express their deep gratitude for the support and encouragement from the Party and State, and pledged they will do their best to achieve top results in the upcoming ParaGames.
Vietnam will send 124 athletes with disabilities to compete in seven events including track and field, swimming, badminton, weightlifting, table tennis, chess and tennis, aiming to finish among the top three countries competing at the 2011 ParaGames.
At the fifth ASEAN ParaGames in Kuala Lumpur two years ago, Vietnam took home 73 gold, 57 silver and 45 bronze medals, and ranked third in the medal tally behind Thailand and the host, Malaysia.
