VĨNH PHÚC — ASEAN delegates discussed issues concerning regional sports at the 15th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS-15) which opened on October 14 in Vĩnh Phúc Province.

In the morning session, delegates discussed the feasibility of establishing an ASEAN High Performance Centre for Sports Training in Malaysia, evaluating the ASEAN Physical Fitness Indicators and integrating sports into youth crime prevention in Thailand.

They also assessed the 13th ASEAN Student Games in June in Việt Nam and discussed how to create conditions for the sustainable development of football in the region.

Delegates talked about membership of the body, with Timor Leste expected to become an ASEAN member country in 2025.

In the afternoon session, representatives from Thailand gave a presentation about the 33rd SEA Games and the 13th ASEAN Para Games 13.

The SEA Games will be held on December 9-20, 2025 in three localities, Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla Province. Meanwhile Nakhon Ratchasima will host the ASEAN Para Games January 20-26.

The meeting also had an open session with three important partners FIFA, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Southeast Asian Anti-Doping Organisation (SEARADO). 

FIFA pledged to support training for youth football, coaches and referees. Meanwhile, WADA and SEARADO suggested that ASEAN member states need to cooperate more closely in preventing doping and especially comply with the principles of these two organisations.

Over SOMS-15's next two days, there will talk about conferences between SOMS, Japan and China.

The ASEAN Secretariat will report about programmes which have been carried out following the sixth SOMS-Japan and the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Sports (AMMS)-Japan in 2023.

They will also look at a summary of cooperation between the AMMS and China and SOMS and China.

The ASEAN Secretariat will also brief on the implementation of the proposal to exchange and revive ASEAN-China traditional sports and games as intangible cultural heritage.  VNS