New award launched to honour Vietnam's outstanding athletes

The Victory Cup award officially debuted at a press briefing in Hanoi on November 10, making it one of the most prestigious prizes honouring Vietnamese trainers and athletes who have made significant contributions to national sports development.

At the November 10 press briefing for the announcement of the Victory Cup award. (Credit: cand.com.vn)

The award, which will be co-organised annually as of 2015 by Vietnam Cable Television (VTVcab) and the 24h.com.vn sports site, features eight categories: best male athlete, best female athlete, best trainer, best young athlete, best team, most popular athlete, most impressive sports moment, and a lifetime achievement award.

Nominees will undergo two rounds of polling. The three candidates with the most votes from fans via text message in each category are eligible for the second round and also the final round where a voting council, made up of 21 sports experts, correspondents and former athletes, will decide the winner for each division through secret ballot.

The ‘most popular athlete’ and ‘most impressive sports moment’ titles will be awarded to the nominees that receive the most votes via text message, while the ‘lifetime achievement’ title, which honours exemplary individuals who have made long-term contributions to Vietnamese sports, will be determined by the council through secret ballots.

The award is expected to be a strong driving force stimulating Vietnamese trainers and athletes to continue trying their best.

At the press briefing, the organising board also launched the 2015 Victory Cup award, which will start on November 15.

Six athletes have been nominated for the ‘best male athlete’ title including tennis player Ly Hoang Nam, gymnast Dinh Phuong Thanh, weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan, fencer Vu Thanh An, shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh and chess grandmaster Le Quang Liem.

Meanwhile, the same category for women features five candidates: swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, sprinter Nguyen Thi Huyen, gymnast Phan Thi Ha Thanh, weightlifter Vuong Thi Huyen and cyclist Nguyen Thi That.

The awards ceremony will be held on January 15, 2016.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)