The team of France Plumfoot is growing every year, little by little. Many active recruits joined the adventure this year, bringing new ideas and proposals. Among them are Thomas and Etienne, who decided to conduct several interviews about the French Open. After the first (Ayman for France Plumfoot), the second (David Zentarra for Germany), the third (János Fehér for Hungary) and the fourth (Pekka Marjamäki for Finland) interviews, other presidents of national federations which send a team to the Open have answered their questions. Find below Mac Xuan Tung’s answers for Vietnam !
In about a month, the 10th French Open will take place in Eaubonne, a city located 20 minutes from Paris. This anniversary will without a doubt be a landmark in the history of Shuttlecock. Is it the first time Vietnam participates to the French Open?
This is the second time we participate to the French Open. The first time was in 2013. We wanted to learn about the organization of the tournament as well as the country and people in France. Later that year, in 2013, Vietnam organized the 7th World Championship.
I want to go back to France as this is where the 10th World Championship will be held. Through this year’s French Open I hope to share with you the experience of hosting a World Championship. Together with you, we will promote and enhance the position of Shuttlecock. I hope that the exchange between us will help you organize the 10th event, like Vietnam in 2013 and Hong Kong 2017. Your challenge, if possible, is to organize more successfully than Italy 2015.
We also look forward to exchange with you and prepare as best as we can for the organization of the World Championship! Now, let’s talk more specifically about the Open to come: how did you prepare for the tournament? What are your objectives?
In this year’s French Open we participate with the purpose of sharing experience in Shuttlecock. We spent a month preparing for this trip, gathering the best athletes to bring to France and to perform the most attractive shuttlecock techniques!
Well, I must admit that we are very curious to see the level of the best Vietnamese players. Could you tell us a bit more about Shuttlecock playing in Vietnam? How many players are playing at the moment? Are there professional players?
There are two divisions in Vietnam: Professional Shuttlecock and Amateur Shuttlecock. For the Professional division, we annualy organize 5 awards in the national competition system to assess the level and development of the provinces and cities, thereby selecting the best athlètes for the national team, who ca go to international tournaments as well as world championships.
Professional athletes are recruited from amateur division in 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam. They are paid a monthly salary (paid by the government budget or sponsored by corporate bodies). There are only around 700 professional athlètes in Vietnam. For the amateur division, Shuttlecock is available as P.E. subject for students from elementary school to university. This results in a strong force of about 15 000 players in our amateur division.
Above that, many people play in the parcs and in the streets, but we don’t have the numbers.
Let’s hope we can get as many people to play in France in the next years! To conclude, we have a tradition of giving everyone we interview a final word… Is there anything you would like to say to the French players, to any specific team or to the International Shuttlecock community before the tournament?
This event is a test run for the organization of the 10th World Championship that you will host in 2019. We wish you a successful tournament which will leave a deep impression on all the participating countries. We are always ready to help and share our expertise & experience in organising this event with the French Shuttlecock Federation.
Special thanks!