Vietnam's top female canoeist quits training over delayed rewards

Nguyen Thi Huong receives the award for young athlete of the year at the 2024 Victory Cup on Jan. 10, 2025. Photo by Victory Cup

Huong, the first Vietnamese canoeist to secure an Olympic spot, competed in the Paris Games last year but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. In 2023, she won two silver medals at the Asian Championships and three gold medals at the U23 Asian Championships.

However, on Dec. 31, 2024, Huong submitted her resignation to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Sports Training Center, and the rowing department of Vinh Phuc Province.

The 24-year-old athlete stated in her resignation that she had not received medal bonuses from domestic competitions held between 2022 and 2024, nor the 2024 nutritional support promised by local authorities. She also cited her age and family financial challenges as reasons for stepping away from her passion.

When contacted, Huong declined to elaborate further but confirmed that she is still training with the Vietnam national rowing team.

Born in Vinh Phuc, Huong initially excelled in pole pushing. She later joined the Vinh Phuc Sports Training Center to pursue freestyle wrestling professionally. When the Vinh Phuc wrestling team was disbanded, Huong transitioned to rowing and focused on canoeing in 2016. She represented Vietnam’s traditional rowing team at the SEA Games 32, winning three gold medals.

The Vietnam Rowing Federation emphasized that localities must ensure athletes' rights, but Huong’s management unit has struggled financially. The Vinh Phuc Sports Training Center announced on Dec. 24 that all regular sports training would be suspended until funding resumes.

As part of the suspension, coaches were instructed to return athletes to their families for management, with families taking responsibility for their activities during the hiatus.

Huong is still training with Vietnam Canoeing, Rowing and Sailing Federation at a national training center in Hai Phong.