Hanoi (VNA) – Forty-five excellent athletes are getting special training and treatment to prepare for Olympics qualifying tourneys, the General Department ofꦦ Sports and Physical Education said. 

Deputy Director General Tran Duc Phan said his general department aims for 15 – 20 athletes of 11 – 14 sports to advance through qualifiers and secure official tickets to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.  It has provided intensive training for 16 teams: athletics, swimming, weightlifting, shooting, gymnastics, fencing, taekwondo, cycling, archery, boxing, judo, freestyle wrestling, rowing, badminton, football and table tennis.  Many athletes have been sent to training courses in sports-oriented countries such as the US , Cuba and Greece and others that have the same time zone and similar weather conditions with Brazil – the host of Olympics this year.  Financial resources, nutrition regime, professional equipment, medical assistance and other support have also been geared up for the athletes, Phan said.  Six Vietnamese athletes have obtained official places at the Olympics so far, including two in shooting, three in weightlifting and one in swimming.  The Rio 2016 Summer Olympics will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5 to 21 with about 13,000 athletes from 200 countries and territories competing in 42 sports.-VNA