The committee’s Sports Administration division justified its decision to cancel the wrestling team’s efforts by saying that it was unlikely that the women would qualify.

The national wrestling team was initially given US$60,000 to prepare both men and women to compete at the 2008 Olympic qualifiers in Canada.

But the sum was not enough to send the team abroad for training or competitions.

After deciding that the men’s team would not stand a chance against international competitors, the national team coaches decided that their men would not try for a spot at the Olympics.

Instead, the coaches used the funds to focus on training the women’s team for a shot at Beijing.

Head coach Le Ngoc Minh then selected three of his best wrestlers to compete for a spot at the elite summer event in August.

Nguyen Thi Lua (48kg category) and Pham Thi Hue (55kg category) had recently won bronze medals at the Asian Championships in South Korea while Luong Thi Quyen (63kg category) has won three South East Asian (SEA) Games gold medals.

“The Sports Administration leaders’ decision to cancel our bid really disappointed us,” said coach Minh.

“Two Thai wrestlers, who are not as good as our athletes, called me from Canada as they prepared for the competition. It made me really sad.”

But given the high level of Minh’s selection, some members of the national women’s wrestling team have speculated that their ability was not the sole factor behind the Sports Administration’s decision to cancel their bid.

One athlete who spoke on condition of anonymity hinted that local sports authorities sometimes favor athletes from Hanoi.

The wrestler said that as the team’s two Hanoian athletes were injured, this could have inspired administrators to cancel the team’s chances altogether.

The women chosen by Minh for the competitions were from Ha Tay, Hai Phong and Thanh Hoa.

“If Giang and Trang [the team’s Hanoian wrestlers] weren’t injured, would our sports leaders have canceled the women wrestlers’ trip to Canada?” asked the wrestler.

“The swimming, rowing, springboard and shooting teams failed to qualify for Beijing, but they were at least given the chance to try. Why were the women wrestlers treated so poorly?” the athlete asked.

Vietnam Olympic Committee Secretary Hoang Vinh Giang said he was sorry that the women’s wrestling team was denied the opportunity to participate in the Olympic qualifiers.

The team’s trip to a competition in Sweden later this month was also canceled.

Source: SGGP