Athletes at the event (Source: VNA) Cairo (VNA) - The Viet Vo Dao Vovinam (Vietnamese martial art) Championship – Ambassador Cup – was held in Shams El-Sheikh city, Egypt, on October 26 and 27, gathering mỏe than 80 athletes from Japan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan and the host country.
The event was jointly organized by the Egypt Federation of Vovinam (EFV), the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Egypt, and the African Federation of Vovinam (AFV) under the sponsorship of the Vietnamese Ambassador in the country.
Talking to Vietnam News Agency reporters in Egypt, Vietnamese Ambassador Tran Thanh Cong the tournament aimed to introduce Vietnam’s traditional martial art and culture, helping to enhance solidarity and comprehensive cooperation among nations.
According to Chairman of the Vovinam Federation of Iraq Ali Kadhim Madlool, the organisation has so far set up seven Vovinam clubs with over 100 members in the country.
It is constantly striving to expand its network, by establishing new clubs and recruiting more young athletes, he said, adding that Vovinam is a suitable sport for young people in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Vovinam Federation of Algeria and the AFV Mohamed Djouadj said Vovinam is developing strongly in many African countries, and the AFV expects to increase its member countries to 17 from 15 at present.
In Algeria, about 20,000 people are practicing this martial art, and the number will continue increasing, he said.
The AFV will continue to expand cooperation with colleagues in Vietnam to promote the development of this martial art in the continent, he stressed.
The event offered a good chance for Egyptian athletes and coaches and those from the Middle East and North Africa to sharing experience.
At the event, with the support of Vietnamese Ambassador Tran Thanh Cong, a conference was held to strengthen personnel of the EFV, with the aim of expanding Vovinam across provinces and cities of Egypt.
Vovinam Viet Vo Dao was founded by Nguyen Loc (1912-1960) in 1936 but developed in 1938 with a view to providing practitioners with an efficient method of self-defence after a short period of study.
Vovinam is practiced with and without weapons. It is based on the principle of combining between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’. It is not only about the training of the body but also of the mind.
The martial art has to date been practiced in more than 60 countries and territories, with millions of learners from thousands of Vovinam clubs./.
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