Viet Nam's karatedo martial artists will face stiff competition from their regional counterparts at the third Southeast Asia Karatedo Championships.— Photo baoninhthuan

CAN THO (VNS) — Viet Nam's karatedo martial artists will face stiff competition from their regional counterparts at the third Southeast Asia Karatedo Championships.

The tournament will kick off on Wednesday at the Can Tho City's Indoor Stadium.

"Countries will send their best athletes to the tournament, because this is an excellent occasions to put their athletes to the test before the 18th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, next September," Can Tho's coach Nguyen Anh Tuan said.

"Athletes from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia will be the main opponents for the home athletes," he added.

A rough estimate of 300 martial artists from seven countries – Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and host Viet Nam – will compete for 39 sets of medals to be distributed among three age groups, 14-15, 16-17 and 18-and-above.

Viet Nam has the largest group of athletes, with 128, including big names such as Lang Thi Hoa, Nguyen Hoang Ngan and Vu Thi Nguyet Anh.

While Ngan has been unrivaled for years in the women's individual kata (performance) event, Anh has yet to find a worthy opponent in the women's kumite (combat) 50kg event.

This is the first time the Mekong Delta city has hosted the event, though it has sent several talented young athletes, such as Kieu Oanh and Pham Hoang Nhi, who are expected to retain their titles this year.

The country has set a goal of finishing in second place. Viet Nam came in third in the two previous tournaments. — VNS