At the National Championship for Stick Pushing and Tug of War in 2024 taking place in Dak Lak recently, a delegation of athletes from Hoa Binh province participated in both events. For stick pushing, they participated in 9 weight categories and won 1 gold medal, 3 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. Notably, the two young athletes who were both born in 2006 are the children of Van Son commune (Lac Son) and have contributed a lot to the province's competition achievements.
The athlete Quach Viet Hoang from Loi Muong hamlet (right) won the silver medal in men's stick pushing in the 65-70kg weight category at the championship for crossbow shooting, stick pushing, and youth tug of war in Lac Son district’s championship in 2024.
Among them, the athlete Bui Van Nam from Man Bui village won the gold medal in men's stick pushing in the 48kg weight category; the athlete Bui Trung Kien from Rang Thien village, won the bronze medal in men's stick pushing in the 60kg weight category.
Stick pushing is not only a sport but it is also a traditional folk game loved by many generations of the people in Van Son commune. According to Mr. Bui Van Son in Man Bui hamlet, in free afternoons, the young children in the village who are teenagers and young adults practice and play together. The training ground is a field, a lawn, a dirt yard, the tools are simply a stick made of good, straight wood or an old piece of bamboo. The way of playing and the rules of the game do not place much emphasis on fierce competition, they are mainly for entertainment and community bonding. The winner of the game is not only by having good health but also by having tactics, ingenuity, and knowing how to take advantage of the opportunities to "strike” decisively and accurately.
In recent years, the national sport has also been included in school physical education and sports activities, attracting a large number of students to respond and practice, thereby it has been contributing to educating the awareness of conserving and preserving the beauty of the folk games and traditional sports. Mr. Hoang Hai Long, the physical education teacher at Van Son Primary and Secondary School, says: Regularly guiding and training the children is, first of all, to improve their physical strength and create a useful playground to help them comprehensively develop virtue-mind-body-beauty. Being happy that from the "cradle”, the school has discovered and nurtured many talented people to participate in Phu Dong Health Festival and competitions organized by the sector. At the 9th Provincial Phu Dong Health Festival in 2023, the school chose 9 students to be the core of the district's team to compete in stick pushing, bringing the achievements of 3 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal.
At the tournament for crossbow shooting, stick pushing, and youth tug of war in Lac Son district in 2024 taking place at the end of March, the commune sent 1 stick pushing athlete and 3 crossbow shooting athletes to participate. The athlete Quach Viet Hoang from Loi Muong Hamlet won the silver medal in men's stick pushing in the 65-70kg weight category. Ms. Bui Thi Hien, the cultural and social civil officer of the commune, says: The ethnic sports have strong vitality in the spiritual life of the local people. Besides the strength of stick pushing, the people in the hamlets and residential areas also regularly practice the traditional sports such as tug of war, crossbow shooting, and array fighting...
Along with the cultural and artistic activities, the local party committee and authorities have always paid attention to and encouraged the physical training and sports movements, associated with preserving Muong ethnic identity. During the early Spring festivals, the ceremony is focused on being fully restored, according to the process and rituals. On the other hand, the commune directs to include folk games and ethnic sports in the festival. The festival's organizing committee also invites the athletes from other communes to participate in the competition, contributing to creating a joyful and exciting atmosphere, enhancing exchanges and tightening solidarity.
The development of the ethnic sports also contributes to improving the quality of mass physical training and sports movements, promoting the campaign of all people uniting to build the cultural life in residential areas. Thereby, many talents have been discovered, matured and created a source of the athletes for the gifted teams at the district’s and province’s levels. At this year's national tournament, the achievements of the athlete Bui Van Nam from Man Bui Hamlet and the athlete Bui Trung Kien from Rang Thien village, have aroused the pride and encouraged the people to actively preserve and promote the national sports. It is known that the athlete Bui Van Nam's gold medal in stick pushing has been awaited since the National Stick Pushing and Tug of War Championship in 2018. At the 9th National Sports Congress in 2022, the athlete delegation of Hoa Binh only won 2 bronze medals in stick pushing.
In the morning of June 30th, at Hoa Binh Square, the Provincial People's Committee coordinated with the Indian Embassy in Hanoi to organize the International Yoga Day in Hoa Binh province in 2024. There was the attendance of Mr. Bui Duc Hinh, the Deputy Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People's Council and the leaders of a number of the appropriate departments, branches, unions... On the side of the Indian Embassy, there was Mr. S. Chinpau Ngaihte, the First Secretary (the Department of Economics, Trade & Development). There was the participation of 500 trainers and the members from 18 Yoga clubs in districts and the city in the province.
In recent years, the physical exercise and sport movement in Yen Bong commune, Lac Thuy district has flourished, drawing a large number of residents to join various training activities, contributing to improved public health.
Recently, the martial artists from our province left a lasting impression at the 2024 Northern Vovinam Championship organized by the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Nam Dinh Province in collaboration with the Sports Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism) and the Vietnam Vovinam Federation. This championship has attracted the participation of over 300 athletes and coaches from 13 delegations representing various provinces and cities in the Northern region. The participants competed in 73 categories, including martial arts performances and sparring.
Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Quach Thi Kieu, who is also head of the organising board for the celebration of the International Day of Yoga (June 21) in Hoa Binh province, chaired a meeting on the event on June 6.
In Thuong Coc commune (Lac Son), there are over 9,000 people, living in 14 hamlets. Recently, the commune has increased propaganda for the people so that they practice physical training and sports to improve health; Each person chooses a suitable sport and type of exercise, creating the healthy living habit. From there, it contributes to improving the physical and mental health, the enthusiasm for production, and joining hands to build an increasingly rich, beautiful, and civilized homeland.