Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thuy, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Defense - Air Force, Head of the organizing committee of the sports festival attended to direct and deliver the opening speech.

Also attending were Major General Tran Trong Tuyen, Deputy Chief of Political Affairs of the Air Defense - Air Force Service, Deputy Organizing Committee of the Sports Festival; Comrade Nguyen Van Thien, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Khanh Hoa Province; leaders and Board of Directors of the Air Force Officer School; representatives of a number of functional departments and offices of the Service and nearly 500 athletes, referees, and commanders of units in the Southern region.

Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thuy, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Defense - Air Force, Head of the organizing committee of the sports festival, delivered the opening speech.

The sports festival will feature the following events: Strong warrior (100m run, long jump with momentum, horizontal bar, 3000m armed run); 3000m armed run over obstacles; men's volleyball; football (11 players); table tennis (men's doubles, women's doubles, mixed doubles); badminton (men's doubles, women's doubles, mixed doubles); basketball.

This is an opportunity for the Air Defense - Air Force to evaluate the quality of the physical training movement and sports activities of the units, contributing to improving the health, physical fitness and spirit of the troops, building a healthy and rich cultural environment, meeting the requirements of training and combat readiness tasks. At the same time, select the core to establish the Athletes' Delegation of the Service to participate in the 2023 All-Army Volleyball and Football Tournament.

Delegates attended the opening ceremony of the sports festival.

Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thuy, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Defense - Air Force and Major General Tran Trong Tuyen, Deputy Chief of Political Affairs of the Air Defense - Air Force presented souvenir flags to the participating delegations.

In his opening speech, Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thuy praised the agencies, units and factories in the Southern region for actively investing efforts and organizing thorough training for athletes in the past time, ensuring the best results for the sports festival. Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thuy also requested the Organizing Committee to maintain and operate the sports festival strictly, scientifically, in accordance with regulations, ensuring absolute safety.

For the referee team, it is necessary to strictly comply with the laws, regulations and competition rules of the organizing committee; maintain the competition content with the spirit of fairness, objectivity, honesty and accuracy. Athletes strictly comply with military discipline, sports regulations and referees' decisions; compete with the spirit of sportsmanship, solidarity, honesty, nobility and determination to win. The host unit must ensure the best facilities and materials for the competition; ensure good accommodation, health care for athletes and mobile means for participating delegations.

Some pictures of the athletes competing.

After the opening ceremony, athletes began competing in the following events: Men's volleyball; 100m run, badminton and table tennis.

The Sports Festival is scheduled to end on June 23.                

MAI VAN DONG