Pham Phuoc Hung is one of Vietnamese gymnasts who will vie for medal at the World Gymnastics Championships in Scotland. — File Photo

HA NOI (VNS) — Vietnamese gymnasts will begin their go at the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships in Scotland today, potentially a step towards earning tickets to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

The team includes Pham Phuoc Hung, Dinh Phuong Thanh, Le Thanh Tung, Do Thi Van Anh and team star Phan Thi Ha Thanh.

Hai Phong city native Ha Thanh has previously earned an Olympics spot when it was held in 2012 in London after winning a bronze medal in world championships in 2011.

Thanh is the team's medal hope at this year's event. She recently beat several leading world athletes for a gold medal in balance beam at the World Cup in Bulgaria in May.

To concentrate on the world championships, the Viet Nam team abstained from two international events in Hungary and Croatia in September.

"If the athletes participate in these events, they would be overloaded before taking part in the world event, so we decided to cancel them," said Nguyen Kim Lan, head of the National Sports Administration's gymnastics division.

The Scotland event will host more than 500 gymnasts from over 80 countries around the world. — VNS