The capital city is one of the stopovers the trophy will make during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour.
Every four years before the World Cup, the trophy is taken on a world tour by Coca Cola, one of the official sponsors of the sports event. This time, the trophy started its journey from the well-known Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro on September 12. It will travel to 88 countries and territories and cover 150,000 kilometres in 267 days, more than three times the circumference of the Earth, before returning to the host country, Brazil.
Currently in India, this is the third world tour of the trophy, the world's most coveted symbol of football. The first tour was in 2006.
The organisers of the event will hold many activities and performances during the day at the Quan Ngua Sport Palace.
During the exhibition, fans will get a chance to enjoy a rare up-close view of the original trophy. They will also have an opportunity to be photographed with the trophy, view a special hologram animation that showcases memorable moments of the FIFA World Cup and participate in interactive displays and other entertainment.
Fuleco, the official mascot of the Brazil World Cup, will also be accompanying the trophy.
Fans can visit www.facebook.com/cocacola or email toasoan@bongdaplus.vn for information on free tickets.
Vietnamese athletes shine at World Kurash Championships
Vietnamese representatives have brought home one gold and two bronze medals from the ninth World Kurash Championships recently concluded in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
Dao Le Thu Trang won gold in the women's 48kg division. Her teammates Nguyen Thi Huong (63 kg) and Pham Minh Phu (60kg) earned Vietnam’s two bronze medals.
This year’s competition attracted 300 athletes from 35 countries, including Uzbekistan, Greece, Ukraine, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taipei, and India.
Kurash is a traditional Central Asian martial art. Vietnamese athletes have competed at the World Championships since hosting the Asian Indoor Games in 2009.
Vietnam takes silver at SportAccord World Mind Games
Vietnamese player Nguyen Hoang Yen won the silver medal in the women’s xiangqi (Chinese chess) category at the third SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing, China, which took place from December 12-18.
In addition to Yen, Vietnamese team included Vietnamese xiangqi master Uong Duong Bac and chess star Le Quang Lien.
Bac finished sixth in the men’s xiangqi category, while Liem ranked in the penultimate position and sixth place in the men’s rapid and blitz chess events, respectively. Liem also just claimed eighth place with five points in the basque editions at the games.
Eventually, the host team came out on top at this year’s SportAccord World Mind Games with nine gold medals, followed by Russia with six and Monaco with two.
The biennial event drew the participation of 150 players from 40 countries and territories around the world.
Links: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/sports/92218/fifa-world-cup-trophy-to-visit-vietnam.html