HA NOI — Young Vietnamese boxers will be trained in one-month course organised by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) in the UK, titled Road to London.

The athletes, including Vuong Thi Vy, Nguyen Van Hai and Luong Van Toan, will be provided with airline tickets, accommodation, local transport, meals, training bases and equipment as well as instructors.

A welcoming message on the AIBA reads, "The youngest participant at the training camp will be Viet Nam's bright future hope, current AIBA Junior World Woman Boxing Champion, Vuong Thi Vy, who will be celebrating her 17th birthday this year. She claimed the first ever Vietnamese gold medal in a world-wide event and will be debuting amongst the elite athletes at the camp in Wales.

"Viet Nam is hoping for an Olympic quota and President's Cup silver medallist, Nguyen Van Hai and 22-year-old Luong Van Toan, who claimed a gold at the 26th Southeast Asian Games, both have a chance to make history."

The project, which begins this month, offers 48 male and 17 female boxers from underprivileged and developing countries an opportunity of training at standards used by athletes in developed countries.

Seeking Olympic qualification

After the course, Vietnamese athletes will ready to fight for a ticket to London this summer. Hai and Toan will compete at an Asian Olympic Qualifying Event on April 4-13, while, female boxers will participate in the Asian Boxing Championships on March 16-23 in Mongolia.

Vy may not attend the tournament in Mongolia due to commitments at the training course in Great Britain, but boxers Luu Thi Duyen and Ngo Thi Chung will definitely take part. After that, the boxers will attend a one-month training course in North Korea in preparation for the Women's World Boxing Championships on May 9-20 in China.

To prepare for these important qualification competitions, 2011 Junior World Boxing Championship silver medallist Duyen and her colleagues will attend a training course in Thailand at the end of February.

Duyen is regarded as the greatest chance to earn an Olympic berth due to her extensive competition experience. —VNS