Identifying that improving the quality of training athletes was an important foundation for elevating the position of Binh Duong sports in 2023, Binh Duong raised the number of sports to 28 with 876 athletes, maintained a 3-line training system i.e., basic, scientific, and inheritable (recruitment line, youth line and gifted line). Besides the centralized lines, the province also invested in grassroots talent classes with nearly 500 athletes of all sports to provide a source of young talent for high-performance sports.

To ensure the quality of new requests for the training and selection of athletes, Binh Duong standardized the team of coaches, and at the same time, there were the most appropriate adjustments to fully utilize their professional abilities, responsibilities, and experience. The province's cooperation with the Institute, the University of Physical Education and Sports, and the National Sports Training Center has been maintained and promoted. These were the factors that brought achievements and medals in 2023.

Recently, Binh Duong Sports attended 145 tournaments, and archived 692 medals at every level; there were 285 athletes ranked internationally (139 grandmasters, 146 level 1). In the international arena, Binh Duong Sports gradually asserted its position as many provincial athletes wrote their names in history as world champions such as athlete Bao Phuong Vinh who won the world 3-cushion Billiards tournament in Turkey, athlete Ho Huy Binh who won the 14th World Bodybuilding tournament in South Korea, athlete Lai Ly Huynh who won the World Chess tournament in the rapid chess in the US, athlete Trinh Thi Kim Thanh and athlete Tran Thi Diem Trang who won the World Petanque tournament in Thailand, athlete Duong Duc Bao who won the world youth Muay tournament. Five World Championships in Billiards, Chinese Chess, Bodybuilding, Petanque, and Muay are five noble titles that Binh Duong Sports achieved for the first time in history. This was also the first time Vietnamese sports had won world championships in Billiards, Chinese Chess, and Petanque. 

Athlete Lai Ly Huynh successfully defended the Gold Medal in the World Rapid Chess tournament.

Viet Nam's 4 golden girls in Petanque (from the right): Trinh Thi Kim Thanh, Tran Thi Diem Trang (Binh Duong), Thach Thi Anh Lan, Kim Thi Thu Thao.

Recalling the nervous moments before stepping onto the podium of the world championship, athlete Bao Phuong Vinh shared: "Before I became a world champion, leaders of Binh Duong Sports always created favorable conditions for me in aspects such as sent me to compete in foreign tournaments to gain experience and improve my expertise. Especially after each tournament, the Provincial leaders always met, rewarded, and welcomed me back as if they were my relatives. Those things gave me more motivation to contribute and be more determined to maintain this fire of enthusiasm, contribute a little bit to the common fire, and exert more strength with my country's sports. In the coming time, I will constantly cultivate my skills, and continue to conquer challenges on the road ahead".

Athlete Bao Phuong Vinh receives the most prestigious World Championship Cup at the 2023 3-cushion Billiards Tournament.

Athlete Bao Phuong Vinh had a passion for 3-cushion billiards when he was 11 years old, but at a young age, he could only focus on study. Only after he came back after studying in Australia with a master's degree in economics, did he ask his parents for permission to let him play billiards professionally for 3 years to reach the TOP 20 in the world. Currently, Bao Phuong Vinh was ranked 11^th in the world after his historic victory.

The provincial leaders honor and reward athlete Bao Phuong Vinh.

The way to becoming a world champion was not easy, and there were many challenges to overcome. For athlete Ho Huy Binh, during the process of preparing to compete in the world tournament, he encountered a lot of injuries that prevented him from fully training, and his meals were also harsher to match the treatment process. Especially, in the final stages, he had to cut out starch, and spices and reduce or even cut out water. Sometimes, he had to starve for 1 or 2 days to lose weight for competitions. There were times he felt he could not stand up and even wanted to give up, but the leaders of Binh Duong Sports always encouraged, accompanied, and helped him overcome these difficulties and challenges.

Athlete Ho Huy Binh (middle) wins the world championship in the men's 70kg weight category at the 14th World Bodybuilding Championship in South Korea.

Sharing memorable but also challenging memories at the recent 2023 World Championship, athlete Ho Huy Binh said: "After winning the Gold Medal of the Club Cup in 2015, in early 2016 I started to become acquainted with the Binh Duong team and began the process of playing professionally. I was born in Quang Nam but considered Binh Duong as my hometown because Binh Duong was an important foundation for me to become a professional athlete. This place always created the best conditions for me in all aspects, the most important was that I could compete in international tournaments to gain experience and become more mature and braver. Besides, the coaches always cared for and accompanied their athletes. They were the main and important reasons for me and everyone to achieve today's results".

"World Championship was the largest championship that athletes always dream of. During the National Anthem, I got emotional. And I could not express how joyful I was at that moment", Athlete Ho Huy Binh emotionally shared.

Invest methodically and aim at new heights.

It could be said that the achievements of Binh Duong Sports were rewards. The results came from the processes of strenuous and persistent training of athletes, attention and proper investments of Binh Duong provincial leaders, the Culture, Sport, and Tourism sector, and the companionship of businesses. The way Binh Duong stepped up partly showed determination and affirmed the position in the overall development of Binh Duong, bringing glory to Vietnamese sports.

Mr. Cao Van Chong – Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism shared that the successes that Binh Duong Sports achieved in the past year were a good sign, creating new opportunities and motivations for the province's sports. To get those results, the attention and facilitation of the provincial leaders and the provincial Culture, Sports, and Tourism sector were always active, flexible, and creative. They made efforts to overcome difficulties in management and operation; understood the thoughts and aspirations of athletes; had appropriate plans and promoted motivation to help athletes compete their best to bring proud achievements. At the same time, to create a team of quality athletes and coaches, the province always paid attention to, visited, encouraged, and supported the sports. For athletes before conquering important world tournaments, Department leaders always created conditions to implement domestic and abroad training plans so that athletes gained experience before the official competition. Immediately after returning from successful competitions, the athletes were always encouraged, and rewarded by leaders at all levels.

Binh Duong coordinates to organize a National Referee Training course.

Sharing about orientation and plans to conquer "New levels" of Binh Duong Sports in the coming time, Mr. Cao Van Chong said that the province would continue to implement effective Sports Development Projects in the period up to 2025 with an orientation to 2030 towards development in both quality and quantity. Especially, they would pay attention to organizational mechanisms and the process of selecting and training high-achieving sports athletes and developing young talents to supplement the recruitment line. The province was focusing on developing strong sports such as football, volleyball, dance sports, cycling, martial arts, bodybuilding, Chinese chess, chess, etc. These sports were in group 1 of the country (SEA Games, Asiad, Olympic competition) and were metal winners at international and continental levels of the provincial sports teams. The standardization of technical facilities and equipment was also paid attention to, meeting the training requirements of athletes and serving the organization of national and international sports competitions.

At the same time, the Department advised on good implementation of policies for coaches and athletes of the province; invested, purchased equipment, repaired facilities and competition grounds in a modern and standard manner; applied science and technology to serve the organization of sports competitions following development trends; actively mobilized social resources according to the policy of socialization in participating and supporting the organization of sports tournaments. Apart from investing and training focused on developing strong sports, there was also a system of talent classes focused initially on the grassroots to provide talented athletes with high-achievement sports. At the same time, the Department focused on reviewing and supplementing forces for key sports that had successful, world-class athletes to invest toward high achievements, and improved and enhanced nutrition and life for coaches and athletes.

Binh Duong has many athletes participating in national youth tournaments and international competitions.

Besides investing in economic development, Binh Duong constantly paid attention to and invested in the fields of culture. The province built and upgraded modern cultural institutions that were worthy of its economic development and fulfilled the entertainment needs of all classes of people.

Currently, the province is focusing on all resources to speed up the progress of approved constructions and categories to serve sports activities, and the workflow and plans for building the Cultural and Sports Complex (important content of the Integrated Planning of Binh Duong province for the period 2021-2030, vision to 2050) included some categories: cluster of stadiums, multi-purpose gymnasiums, water sports, service area and cultural works, convention center, cluster of restaurants and hotels. The stadium was qualified to organize national and international events of culture and sports and served regularly cultural and sports activities of schools, factories, and industrial zones in the area. In addition, there was also a cluster of modern multi-purpose gymnasiums and smaller-scale gymnasiums, multi-sport gyms, water sports competition areas, service areas of sports and other projects, etc. This was an important foundation for Binh Duong sports to continue to inherit and promote its strength and get ready for a new period of greater goals.

It could be said that outstanding sports milestones in 2023 were a solid foundation for the Culture, Sports, and Tourism industry of Binh Duong province to continue to promote advantages, overcome difficulties, complete assigned tasks, and affirm its position. It also contributed to successfully implementing the goals and missions of developing the province's physical education and sports in the coming time.