Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s sports sector will focus ondeveloping major sports in 2019 to record higher achievements at the 30th Southeast Asian Games and the 10th Para Games in the Philippines,World Beach Games 2019 and Olympic and Paralympic 2020, as well as other regionaland global sport games.

The plan was revealed by Vuong Bich Thang, Director of the National Administrationof Sports and Physical Training at a conference in Hanoi on December 24 toreview the agency’s performance in 2018 and launch its tasks for 2019.

Addressing the event, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism NguyenNgoc Thien said that in 2019, the administration should focus on eight maintasks, including completing a plan to organise the 31st SEA Games in2021, working with the Vietnam Football Federation to hold the Vietnam footballtournament (Vietnamese League) in 2019, and improving sport facilities servingkey sports.

The sector needs to concentrate on encouraging people todo exercise regularly, improving the achievements of athletes in major sportsat regional, continental and global sport tournaments.

At the same time, it should strengthen coordinationwith media agencies to popularise key sports, the minister said.

Thang said that in 2018, the sector showed strongperformance in State management, while giving advice to the building of legaldocuments and promoting the movement to do exercise among the population.

In the year, Vietnam won 386 gold medals with 27 medals at world tournaments,80 at Asian competitions and 259 at Southeast Asian tournament. Besides, itbagged 296 silver and 235 bronze medals, he noted.-VNA