The 50-year-old table tennis flame is still burning

Mr. Tran Canh Tuan is still active in table tennis despite being 60 years old - Photo: NVCC

Fans of Vietnamese tennis must have heard of the anecdotes of famous tennis players in the South more than 50 years ago.

2 generations of glory

They are Mai Van Hoa, Le Van Tiet, Tran Canh Duoc, Tran Canh Den... - players who once climbed to the top of the world table tennis.

Dominating from regional, continental, to world arenas, the above-mentioned seniors can be considered the first generation of athletes in the history of Vietnamese sports to achieve world-class recognition. And even more remarkably, most of the Vietnamese table tennis celebrities have passed on their passion to their descendants.

For the Tran family, the passion for table tennis still burns brightly in the second generation, when Mr. Tran Canh Den's son - Mr. Tran Canh Tuan - traveled all the way back from the US to continue the dreams of his father and uncle. Mr. Tuan is currently the vice president of the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation, and above all, an active sports activist.

Mr. Tran Canh Tuan himself was also a famous Vietnamese tennis player in the 1980s. Playing for the Song Be team, Mr. Tuan achieved many achievements in national tournaments. At the same time, Mr. Tuan also played... professional football, then became a table tennis coach after retiring.

Mr. Tuan's table tennis career was interrupted for a while when he moved to the US around 2000. However, his passion has never died. Even though he is abroad, Mr. Tran Canh Tuan still closely follows the table tennis situation in the country. He said that once he even printed shirts to send to Vietnamese table tennis players living around the world.

Mr. Tran Canh Den (Mr. Tran Canh Tuan's father) competes in a veteran tournament when he is 80 years old - Photo: NVCC

The world dream

Thanks to his stable business in the US, Mr. Tuan had more opportunities to return to Vietnam in the 2010s. He still maintains relationships with the domestic table tennis community, and every time he returns home, he joins hands with people who share the same passion to organize popular tournaments.

In 2016, Mr. Tuan, together with Vietnam Television (VTV8) and the Da Nang Table Tennis Federation, organized a table tennis tournament called Loving Arms, with the aim of supporting players in difficult circumstances and a very interesting handicap format.

Mr. Tuan is the one who came up with the idea of ​​handicapping points, meaning that weaker players can still compete fairly with professional opponents thanks to handicap points. This idea helped the tournament quickly attract hundreds of participants right from the first time it was organized, and until now it has maintained its annual activities. Besides, there are many other tournaments that he also created such as VTV8 Television Cup, Former Players Tournament of all periods...

Not only is Mr. Tran Canh Tuan active, he is also a prominent philanthropist in the table tennis world. Typically, in 2018, Mr. Tuan spent 500 million VND of his own money to "pump doping" into the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation. From the advocacy of friends and relatives in the industry, Mr. Tuan ran for election and took the position of Vice President of the Vietnam Table Tennis Federation during this period. In 2024, he was re-elected.

In his second term, Mr. Tran Canh Tuan proposed a bolder idea - sponsoring athletes to compete abroad. This plan begins with a trip abroad at the end of 2024, when the Vietnamese table tennis team with a core of about 10 outstanding coaches and athletes will go to the US to compete in the US Open.

"Participating in these tournaments is very beneficial. First of all, it is a chance for athletes to compete, then it is to enhance their reputation. To develop table tennis to a continental level, we cannot just compete in the region. My plan is to have the team participate in at least one world tournament each year," Mr. Tuan shared.

Dreaming of the day Vietnamese athletes shine

It has been a long time since Vietnamese tennis players have had the experience of going abroad to participate in tournaments in the professional World Tour system, instead of only participating in events in the Olympic system - which are labeled "amateur". Mr. Tuan is the main sponsor of this trip and promises to continue to maintain it in the future.

"What is the motivation for an overseas Vietnamese like you to keep the passion for Vietnamese table tennis alive?", we asked Mr. Tran Canh Tuan, and received a very sincere answer from the former tennis player who is now in his sixties.

"My father and my uncle were once world-class table tennis players. My dream is to witness the day when Vietnamese athletes can shine at world tournaments. Actually, many years ago, when I first returned to Vietnam, I didn't think about this, I just wanted to create more playgrounds for brothers to meet and that was fun. But the more I do it, the more passionate I become. Now, I think I am truly inheriting the aspirations of my father and uncle," Mr. Tuan shared.

Mr. Tran Canh Tuan brought Vietnamese table tennis athletes to participate in the 2024 US Open, most of the funding was sponsored by him - Photo: BBVN

Both brothers Tran Canh Duoc and Tran Canh Den made great contributions to bringing Vietnamese table tennis to the top of the world in the 1950s and 1960s. Mr. Duoc (Mr. Tran Canh Tuan's uncle) was more prominent, being compared to the legends Mai Van Hoa and Le Van Tiet, while Mr. Den was also praised as the person with the most beautiful playing style in the region at that time.

Together, that brilliant table tennis generation created a series of famous achievements such as 3rd place in the 1959 World Championship, gold medal in men's doubles, silver medal in the 1953 Asian Championship, 2 gold medals at the 1958 Asian Games...

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngon-lua-bong-ban-50-nam-van-chay-20250421084149581.htm