Playground for friendship

The Games brought together 1,300 student athletes and coaches from 10 countries in the region. Of these, Vietnam had 190 members, participating in 6/6 sports.

Attending the opening ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha; Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, Head of the congress steering committee; Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, Secretary of the Central Youth Union, President of the Central Vietnam Student Association; Secretary of the Da Nang City Party Committee Nguyen Van Quang; Mr. Bayu Rahadian, Secretary General of the Indonesian Student Sports Council (currently holding the role of National President of the Southeast Asian Student Sports Council).

There were also representatives of the Steering Committee, Organizing Committee, representatives of sports delegations of participating countries; representatives of ministries, departments, and branches of the Central Government, representatives of leaders of Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province.

Central and local delegates attend the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Student Sports Festival

The opening ceremony featured many events, with the highlight being the solemn parade of 10 sports delegations: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and host Vietnam. The flag-raising ceremony of the Southeast Asian Student Sports Council and the congress flag marked the official start of the exciting sports festival.

The flag-raising ceremony marked the official start of the exciting sports festival in Da Nang City.

The torch lighting ceremony was conducted by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha. The flame symbolizes the enthusiasm of Southeast Asian youth, while promoting the spirit of solidarity and friendship among countries in the region.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha wished the athletes the best results in the spirit of noble sportsmanship, honesty, solidarity, friendship...

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said the Southeast Asian Games is the largest sports festival for high school students in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Games aim to promote international solidarity and friendship; mutual respect and understanding among countries for the harmonious physical and mental development of students, for a young generation of Southeast Asian integration and development.

Not only a place to honor sports talents, the 13th Southeast Asian School Sports Festival is an opportunity for students from 10 ASEAN countries to exchange, learn and connect, in line with the spirit of "Connecting to shine together".

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son delivered the opening speech at the 13th Southeast Asian School Sports Festival.

"The 13th Southeast Asian School Sports Festival is a symbol of solidarity, joining hands for the future generation, understanding the importance of school sports for the physical development of Southeast Asian students," Minister Nguyen Kim Son emphasized.

Mr. Bayu Rahadian, Secretary General of the Indonesian Student Sports Council, noted that the exceptional hospitality and warm welcome from the host country made the event a memorable experience for all delegates. “Your support played a vital role in ensuring the success of the Games,” he said.

According to Mr. Bayu Rahadian, the Southeast Asian School Games is not only a sporting event but also a platform to promote friendship, cross-cultural understanding and build a common community among nations.

"To our young athletes, we encourage you to compete with integrity and honor. Accept challenges, cherish your victories and learn from your failures. Remember that every moment on the field, the court or the track is an opportunity to grow and develop, not only as athletes but also as individuals," said Bayu Rahadian.

Mr. Le Trung Chinh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City, said that since being chosen to host the congress, Da Nang City has closely coordinated with ministries and branches to carry out all preparations and get ready for the competition of student athletes.

With the theme "ASEAN - Connecting and Shining Together", the congress will be a bridge, an opportunity to introduce the colors and characteristics of Southeast Asian countries, together fanning the flames of desire, belief in victory - where the light of belief and human strength are built on the foundation of solidarity, friendship, cooperation and development. All "For a stronger Southeast Asia - a powerful and prosperous Southeast Asia".

Athletes take oath at opening ceremony

The red-shanked douc langur is the mascot for the 13th Southeast Asian School Games.

With the message "Connecting and Shining Together", the 13th Southeast Asian School Sports Festival kicked off on May 29 and lasted until June 9 with 6 sports and 107 events, corresponding to 107 sets of medals. Of which, swimming had 36 sets of medals, basketball 2 sets of medals, badminton 7 sets of medals, athletics 36 sets of medals, pencak silat 16 sets of medals and vovinam 10 sets of medals.

The mascot of the congress is the Red-shanked Douc Langur, a rare animal listed in the Vietnam Red Book. Through the image of this mascot, the congress conveys the message of environmental protection to each student in particular and the community in general.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dai-hoi-the-thao-hoc-sinh-dong-nam-a-san-choi-gan-ket-tinh-huu-nghi-185240601223458683.htm