The exhilarating 2023 National Roller Sports Championship, which also featured competitions for junior age groups, was held in Ho Chi Minh City over the course of two days, marking the inaugural national tournament for this emerging sport.

More than 280 rollerbladers from several provinces and cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Binh, Hanoi, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Lam Dong, Dong Thap, and Da Nang gathered at Gia Dinh Stadium in Binh Thanh District on Sunday and Monday.

They competed in three professional distances of 800 meters and 1,500 meters for men and women and men’s 10,000 meters, as well as the 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1,500-meter categories for the 5-6, 7-8, 9-11, and 12-14 age groups.

Among the winners of the 5-6 age group were Nguyen Bao Anh in the girl’s 400-meter event and Hua Vy Thong in the boy’s 400-meter distance.

The purpose of the tournament was to identify and choose athletes to represent Vietnam at the delayed 2022 Asian Games, which were due to be held in China last September but have been postponed to September this year because of rising COVID-19 cases in the host country.

In addition, it provided an opportunity to promote the sport to a broader audience.

According to Ngo Quang Vinh, vice-president of the Vietnam Cycling and Motor Racing Federation, roller sports have gained immense popularity in Ho Chi Minh City over the last decade, about the same time when Vietnam made its roller sports debut at an international event by sending a team to compete at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia. 

Ever since then, the trend of engaging in rollerblading and skateboard sports in Vietnam has been steadily growing in a more professional manner.

Roller sports were introduced in Vietnam around the early 2000s.

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