Volleyball star Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy won the awards for Female Athlete of the Year and Most Favoured Athlete of the Year. 2023 was a resounding success for Thuy and her teammates as they became the champions of the Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship and the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup. Besides, they won berths to compete at the FIVB Challenger Cup and FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship. Thuy is also the backbone of the PFU Blue Cats in the Japanese League.
The volleyball team got the Team of the Year Award while its coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet received the Coach of the Year Award.
Shining at the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD 19) after defeating many strong opponents to take Vietnam’s first gold at the sport event, marksman Pham Quang Huy secured the Male Athlete of the Year Award. Behind the success of Huy and the national shooting team was Park Chung Gun who was honoured as the Foreign Coach of 2023.
Meanwhile, the Teammates of the Year Award went to four women of the spak takraw team who won gold medals in the world championship, Asian Games and SEA Games. Player Tran Thi Ngoc Yen was honoured in the Young Player of the Year category.
The Athlete with Disabilities of the Year Award honoured weightlifter Le Van Cong for the third time.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former Director of the Sports Authority of Vietnam Le Buu, while the women’s football team received the Image of the Year Award.
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The Image of the Year Award honours the women's football team. (Photo: VNA)
The Victory Cup honours top candidates in 11 different categories. A big bonus of about 750 million VND (30,600 USD) was awarded to the winners.
Organised since 2015 with two years cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Victory Cup has affirmed its prime position as a leading national sport award. It has received strong response from sportsmen and fans.
According to Director of the Sports Authority of Vietnam Dang Ha Viet, the gala not only honoured excellent coaches, athletes and teams but also encouraged the sport sector to make efforts to reap further achievements in the coming time.
In 2023, Vietnamese athletes took part in two key sport events, namely the 32nd SEA Games in May in Cambodia and the 19th Asian Games in October in China.
Weeks after these Games, disabled athletes also took part in the 12th Para Games in Cambodia and 4th Asian Para Games in China.
Many of them brought gold medals home, strengthening position of Vietnamese sport in the regional and continental maps.
