HA NOI – The German government has scaled back its support of athletics in Viet Nam.

The German Olympic Committee and German Athletics Federation told the Viet Nam Athletics Federation (VAF) that Germany has ended it plan to help foster Vietnamese athletes one year early, due to a shortage of finances.

In November 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Germany Embassy to Viet Nam signed a four-year co-operation agreement on the development of athletics in Viet Nam until next year. This plan included training athletics coaches, seeking young talent and organising annual plans for athletes.

Under the agreement, Germany sent decathlete Uwe Freimuth to work as a sports scientist, coach and lecturer in Viet Nam.

Over the past two years, Freimuth alongside the VAF and the National Sports Administration, have worked on developing athletics across Viet Nam.

Under the co-operation agreement, Viet Nam athletics was equipped with modern machines such as massage beds and cardiographs, while also receiving US$30,000 from the German government every year.

Hoang Manh Cuong, general secretary of the VAF, said Freimuth has finished his two-year tenure and returned home before the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. Cuong said that although Germany had temporarily stopped its long-term plans as of the beginning of this year, Germany pledged to continue to support Viet Nam's athletics through smaller scale projects. -- VNS