Artistic roller skating performance held at Cho Nho Night Street

Young players from Gia Lai delivered one of their strongest performances to date at the 22nd Central Region Youth Chess and Xiangqi Championship, securing a large medal haul after a week of competition in Huế.

Excitement swept through Pleiku on February 25 as crowds filled Dai Doan Ket Square for the opening night of the two-day “Binh Dinh Martial Arts Night”, an event organized by the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote traditional Vietnamese martial arts.

For more than a decade, instructor Siu Hồng Phát, 42, has sustained the Vovinam - Việt Võ Đạo movement in the remote Ia Pia commune of Gia Lai province, running low-cost martial arts classes that have become a key social space for local children.

In the remote border district of Đức Cơ District in Gia Lai province, a family of three has become a rare phenomenon in Vietnamese martial arts: both parents and their teenage daughter have competed for provincial teams, collecting national medals and bringing pride to their community.

As streets fill with the colours of spring ahead of Lunar New Year, athletes in Gia Lai are balancing family reunions with rigorous training schedules to ensure the festive break does not disrupt preparations for major competitions in the months ahead.

Gia Lai will send two squads to the 2026 National U15 Football Championship, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced as it released the tournament’s regulations and full match schedule.

The inaugural U9 Sao Viet Cup in Gia Lai has underscored Vietnam’s growing shift toward earlier youth football development, drawing more than 120 players from eight community clubs for two days of competition marked by enthusiasm and strong grassroots engagement.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Gia Lai Province has announced plans to host the 2026 National Muay Club Championship from March 1 to 11 at Dai Doan Ket Square and the sports arena in Pleiku Ward.

Senior martial arts master Lê Văn Công has led a sweeping effort to embed Vietnamese traditional martial arts into the school system of the former Phù Cát district, expanding local training clubs from three in 2017 to 22 across primary and lower-secondary institutions.

Vietnamese cueist Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện has clinched the PBA Tour championship, marking his most significant victory nearly four years after entering the elite professional circuit.

The 2026 Youth Basketball Club Championship, set to run from February 6-8 in Gia Lai Province, is expected to showcase emerging young talent as 24 teams prepare to compete across primary, lower-secondary, and upper-secondary divisions.

Demand for pickleball coaches is rising sharply as the sport expands rapidly across the province, drawing new players to structured training programs offered by former badminton, tennis and table-tennis athletes.

Quy Nhon United Football Club earned a 1-1 draw in their away fixture against Dong Thap FC at Dong Thap Stadium on January 31, marking their comeback after a break of more than three months in Round 8 of the National First Division Football Championship - Bia Sao Vang 2025-2026.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (Hoàng Anh Gia Lai FC) face a decisive relegation showdown on Sunday as they host SHB Đà Nẵng FC at Pleiku Stadium, with only one point separating the two sides at the bottom of the V.League 2025-2026 table.

Senior Master Nguyễn Văn Cảnh, coach of the Gia Lai provincial traditional martial arts team under the Bình Định Traditional Martial Arts Center, is participating in the 3rd National & South Asia VVFI Training Camp 2026 in India from January 31 to February 5.

More than 100 athletes from 15 teams across residential groups, armed forces units, and local businesses competed in Thong Nhat Ward’s 2026 traditional table tennis tournament, which concluded on January 25 in Gia Lai Province.

A friendly football match marking the Binh Ngo Lunar New Year 2026 was held on January 25 at Quy Nhon Stadium, bringing together former Bình Định football players and members of the Gia Lai Young Entrepreneurs Association.

LPBank Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Academy has named 24 successful candidates for its 2026 U13 cohort following a five-day recruitment process, the academy announced on January 22.

Gia Lai’s athletics team has signalled a strong return to national contention after the administrative merger, winning two gold medals and one bronze at the 2026 National Mountain Marathon “Conquering Ba Ra Peak” and finishing second overall, behind the Military team.

Gia Lai Province has outlined an ambitious plan to strengthen and expand its traditional martial arts movement, following the first congress of the Gia Lai Traditional Martial Arts Federation for the 2026–2030 term held on January 17 at the Provincial Convention Center.

Gia Lai Province hosted its first pickleball tournament for banking sector officials and employees on January 18, drawing nearly 70 participants to the High Five Pickleball court in Pleiku Ward.

U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in their second group-stage match at the AFC U23 Asian Cup, strengthening their grip on a quarterfinal place after back-to-back victories.

Đào Hà Tâm Du, a young boxer from Gia Lai province, has established himself as one of Vietnam’s most promising youth athletes after winning four consecutive gold medals at national youth boxing championships, underscoring his consistency, competitive edge and long-term potential.

Among the members of the Vietnam U23 national team participating in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup Finals, set to take place in Saudi Arabia, Dinh Hong Vinh serves as the chief assistant to head coach Kim Sang Sik, He is also the President of Quy Nhon United Football Club.