SEA Games 31: Vietnamese badminton players compete at Asia Championships 2022

Nguyen Thuy Linh eyes a gold medal at SEA Games 31 (Photo: the SEA Games 31's Organising Committee)

Hanoi (VNA) - Four top badminton players of Vietnam, including Nguyen Tien Minh and Nguyen Thuy Linh, are competing at the Badminton Asia Championships 2022 from April 26 – May 1 in the Philippines, according to the SEA Games 31's Organising Committee. 

This is a good preparation for the athletes before their competition at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) in Vietnam, which is slated for May 12 to 23.

Minh will meet Khosit Phetpradab of Thailand in the first round of the men's singles, while Linh will compete with Japan’s 8th seed Sayaka Takahashi in the first round of women's singles.

Meanwhile, Dinh Thi Phuong Hong and Pham Thi Khanh will compete in the women's doubles event.

The athletes had trained in Bac Giang province - the host of badminton matches of SEA Games 31.

To prepare for the regional sports event, Minh and Linh attended important world badminton tournaments such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan, and the 2021 BWF World Championships in Spain.

Le Thanh Ha, deputy director of the High Performance Sports Department II under the Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA) and General Secretary of the Vietnam Badminton Federation, said the agencies will create favourable conditions for key athletes to achieve the best performance at SEA Games 31.

He said he hopes that the Badminton Asia Championships 2022 will continue to be a good chance for the players to improve skills and experience.

Regarding the preparation for SEA Games 31 of the Vietnamese badminton team, player Le Duc Phat is going to finish his training tour in Denmark.

Bac Giang's organising committee of badminton matches of SEA Games 31 said it has completed preparations and is now ready for the regional sports event.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, will be held in the capital city of Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities.

Featuring 40 sports with 526 events, it is expected to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact./.