Nurturing young talents

Alongside the goal of comprehensive educational reform, sports and physical training movements in schools across the province have continued to expand. In addition to formal physical education programs, many schools maintain and broaden extracurricular clubs such as football, basketball, badminton, and pickleball, while regularly organizing internal competitions. These activities provide students with more opportunities to improve their physical fitness, develop skills, and cultivate sporting talents. Many students have achieved impressive results at the Phù Đổng Sports Festival, the provincial sports games, and regional as well as national tournaments.

At the recent 12th Điện Biên provincial Sports Games, Lò Thị Thành, a student from Mường Ảng Ethnic Minority Boarding High School, won two gold medals in athletics in the 1,500m and 3,000m events. Thành shared that her passion for athletics began during physical education classes and local school competitions.

“If the province had a specialized sports talent school, students who love sports would have more opportunities for regular training, professional coaching, and better conditions to develop their abilities and compete at higher-level tournaments”, Thành said.

Alongside athletics, many new sports are also attracting large numbers of students. Mai Quỳnh Chi, a student in class 11B5 at Điện Biên Phủ High School, has emerged as a promising pickleball player and is frequently selected to compete in provincial tournaments. Chi has earned notable achievements, including two first prizes at the second provincial Student Sports Tournament in 2025 and, most recently, a second prize at a pickleball tournament organized in March 2026 by the Điện Biên provincial Youth Union in coordination with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“I hope the province will soon establish a sports talent school so that students who share the same passion can train in a more professional environment, develop themselves, and pursue long term careers in sports”, Quỳnh Chi expressed.

Expectations from a new model

The development of school sports in Điện Biên has created an effective environment for identifying talented students. However, many young athletes still face limitations in technique, tactics, physical fitness, and high level competition experience.

In response to this reality, in December 2023, the Department of Education and Training, in coordination with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, submitted a joint proposal to the provincial People’s Committee seeking approval for the establishment of the Điện Biên provincial Sports Talent High School.

A notable feature of the proposal is that it does not involve building an entirely new institution. Instead, the plan would transform and adjust the educational orientation of Thanh Nưa High School. Under this model, the school would continue its general education mission while gradually developing functions related to identifying, selecting, and nurturing students with sporting talents.

Established in 2008, Thanh Nưa High School currently maintains a stable scale of 14 classes with around 600 students. The school covers more than 36,200 square meters and already possesses relatively synchronized facilities, including classrooms, functional rooms, a multi-purpose gymnasium, and sports grounds for football, volleyball, basketball, and badminton. The remaining land area is sufficient for further expansion, including additional classrooms and facilities serving sports talent training such as multi-purpose sports grounds, a swimming pool, dormitories, a cafeteria, and administrative buildings. These conditions provide a favorable foundation for developing a sports talent school model without requiring a completely new investment.

Nguyễn Thành Long, Principal of Thanh Nưa High School, stated that if implemented, the model would improve the efficiency of the school’s existing facilities while creating a specialized educational environment for identifying and nurturing sports talents, thereby gradually building a new generation of athletes for the province’s high performance sports sector.

However, although the proposal has been under study since 2023, relevant authorities are still reviewing and refining the plan to ensure its feasibility and suitability to local conditions.

According to Hoàng Tuyết Ban, Director of the Department of Education and Training, if approved by competent authorities, the project will be implemented according to a roadmap aligned with the province’s actual conditions, ensuring effectiveness and sustainability. Initially, the province plans to prioritize sports with strong local potential and practical suitability such as athletics, swimming, badminton, volleyball, and stick-pushing.

Alongside infrastructure investment, the education sector will focus on building a qualified team of teachers and coaches while strengthening cooperation with sports training institutions and training centers to improve training quality. The establishment of the school must also align with budget conditions, existing facilities, and practical needs to ensure efficiency, avoid scattered investment, and create comprehensive development opportunities for students with sporting talents across the province.

With an appropriate training environment, passionate young athletes like Lò Thị Thành and Mai Quỳnh Chi will have greater opportunities to develop their talents, compete on larger stages, and help elevate Điện Biên sports in the future.