Rower Nguyen Thi Huong continues to train with the National Team as an athlete of the Vietnam Rowing Federation, after resigning from the Vinh Phuc rowing team.
Nguyen Thi Huong wrote a letter of resignation from December 31, 2024 and may leave the Vinh Phuc team. The reason the 24-year-old rower gave was that she had not received the medal bonuses from domestic competitions from 2022 to 2024, as well as the 2024 nutritional support from the locality.
However, Huong is a key athlete in the sports industry, the first Vietnamese canoeist to officially win a ticket to the Olympics. Therefore, she is still maintaining training with the national rowing team at the National Rowing Training Center, in Thuy Nguyen District, Hai Phong.
The Vietnam Rowing Federation also sent a document to Vinh Phuc to request the acceptance of Nguyen Thi Huong. Although there has been no response, Huong is still included in the list of athletes competing in tournaments on behalf of the federation and is guaranteed training and nutrition regimes.
In 2025, Huong has two important international tournaments: the Asian Rowing Championship in China in April and the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand in December. She is also preparing for the 2026 ASIAD and the 2028 Olympics.
The Vietnam Rowing Federation's viewpoint is that localities must ensure the rights of athletes. However, Huong's parent company is facing difficulties due to personnel changes and administrative procedures from Vinh Phuc province.
Accordingly, the Vinh Phuc Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center has issued a notice to suspend regular training of sports teams, starting from December 24, 2024, until regular funding is provided for the troops. This affects not only Nguyen Thi Huong, but also more than 200 coaches, professional athletes and youth teams of Vinh Phuc. Some have asked to stop training and transfer to other units to maintain training and competition.
The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vinh Phuc reported the incident to the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the People's Committee of Vinh Phuc province. The Department is proposing to soon remove the obstacles to have training and competition funds for coaches and athletes.
TH (according to VnExpress)