The 4th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS-4) is taking place in Hanoi from October 23-25.

The event also aims to enhance mutual understanding among ASEAN member countries’ people, introduce ASEAN sports orientations in the future, and promote the culture, sports and tourism of Vietnam to regional friends.

Addressing the event, Deputy Director of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training Lam Quang Thanh highly valued the outcomes of collaboration among ASEAN member states in the field.

He also highlighted challenges and difficulties that should be promptly addressed to increase sports cooperation in the region.

Participants adopted a joint report on sports submitted by the ASEAN Secretariat.

At the event, Japanese Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Kihei Maekawa proposed areas for sports collaboration between Japan and ASEAN, including football cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.

On October 25, the meeting will discuss and put forth specific orientations and tasks for the bloc’s sports in the years to come.-VNA