Dien Bien preserves and develops traditional sports

People play to ma le at the Hoa Ban Festival.

The community of 19 ethnic groups in Dien Bien has a diverse and rich traditional culture; despite difficult life, ethnic minorities still preserve and develop many typical ethnic sports of their ethnic groups. Every year, at festivals and New Year's Day, from the province to districts, towns and cities, competitions are often organized, reenacting traditional sports of the ethnic groups such as: Tug of war, crossbow shooting, stick pushing, pao throwing, tu lu; throwing con, to ma le, pounding rice cake... These are both ethnic sports and folk games closely associated with the daily life of the ethnic groups. Many games have been developed into sports on the list of competitions at tournaments at all levels; thereby contributing to preserving and developing the cultural beauty of the ethnic group, encouraging the movement of practicing and competing in physical education and sports among the people.

Mr. Lo Van Hoa, Thanh Yen commune (Dien Bien district) - one of the typical and excellent athletes of the province has won more than 100 medals of all kinds in crossbow shooting, from district to national level. Mr. Hoa said: "To achieve high achievements, I regularly practice and actively participate in sports competitions organized at commune and district levels. The tournaments at the grassroots level help me gain experience, practice skills, high concentration and overcome my own limitations to achieve the best results in regional and national tournaments".

“In the past, when I was still in school, I often played stick pushing with my friends. It looks simple, but to play well, you need physical strength, technique... In particular, this sport helps me train both physically and mentally. I have also won many awards in stick pushing organized by the district and province. Now, seeing many young people playing this sport, I feel very happy, contributing to preserving and developing traditional and national sports" - Ms. Pong Thi Oai, Moi village, Cha Cang commune (Nam Po district) shared.

People and tourists play throwing con within the framework of the Ban Flower Festival.

Implementing Project 6 "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development" under the National Target Program on Socio-economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas... With the potential for tourism development, Na Su village, Cha Nua commune (Nam Po district) has been selected to conduct a survey, preserve and restore traditional sports and folk games of the Thai ethnic group (White Thai branch). Mr. Thung Van Quan, Head of Na Su village said: Through restoration, traditional sports and folk games imbued with the Thai ethnic identity (Tung con, to sang, to ma le, to phai...) have been "revived" which have been gradually lost in modern life. From there, it helps people raise their awareness and responsibility in preserving and conserving the cultural beauty passed down by their ancestors; educate people about teamwork, discipline, will to win, physical training, endurance, flexibility and stamina".

To preserve, conserve and promote the value of folk games, Dien Bien province has organized many rich and unique programs and festivals such as: Provincial and district cultural, sports and tourism festivals; Ban Flower Festival; Swallow-tailed boat racing festival in Muong Lay town; cultural and sports festivals for each ethnic group... Along with focusing on organizing the solemn ceremony, the province has oriented and directed the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to include ethnic sports in the festival.

For example, at the Ban Flower Festival, visitors are not only immersed in the cultural space with the unique flavor of Dien Bien, but also get to experience traditional folk games. Through the enthusiastic exchange and guidance of the people, visitors understand more about the traditional and long-standing culture of the ethnic groups in Dien Bien province.

Mass sports teams participate in tug of war at the 2nd Nam Po District Ethnic Culture Festival.

In practice, in recent years, the sports movement in ethnic minority areas has developed in the direction of improving quality and depth. Most localities have built a force of talented, enthusiastic athletes in ethnic sports, ready to participate in sports competitions in and outside the province. Mr. Dao Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the Department of Sports Management (Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) said: "The maintenance and development of ethnic sports in the province is receiving special attention from all levels and sectors. Through sports competitions at the district and provincial levels, many excellent athletes have been selected and trained to compete and achieve high results in regional and national competitions". In 2023, Dien Bien province established 4 delegations of athletes to participate in mass sports competitions in the region and nationwide, with the result of 26 medals (6 gold, 7 silver, 13 bronze).

With the goal of developing both the quantity and quality of ethnic sports, in the coming time, Dien Bien province will continue to encourage and motivate people of all walks of life to maintain the practice of ethnic sports. Organize traditional sports competitions to preserve traditional sports and folk games of ethnic minorities. Actively teach the younger generation to discover and select promising talents; maintain and expand ethnic sports clubs in localities. In particular, pay attention to investing in building facilities, planning institutions serving physical training and sports; localities are flexible, socialize, and mobilize people to voluntarily donate land, contribute to building fields for training, exchange, and competition of physical training and sports... Thereby, enriching cultural and spiritual life; at the same time preserving and promoting the fine cultural identities of ethnic groups. This is also a driving force to promote the development of sports movements in the community, contributing to the effective implementation of the campaign "All people exercise following the example of great Uncle Ho".

Source: https://baodienbienphu.com.vn/tin-tuc/van-hoa/217319/dien-bien-bao-ton-phat-trien-cac-mon-the-thao-dan-toc