Sports

Trekking is rapidly gaining popularity among young people in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, with increasing numbers joining hiking trips through forests and mountains in Gia Lai province, particularly on weekends and during the dry season.

Eight women’s football teams from Gia Lai, Quang Ngai and Dak Lak provinces will compete in the inaugural VTV5 Cup for Ethnic Minority Women’s Football Tournament from March 17 to 21 at the 15th Corps Stadium in Thong Nhat Ward, Gia Lai Province.

Table tennis continues to thrive in the western districts of Gia Lai province, maintaining steady growth and strong community participation despite the rising popularity of newer sports such as pickleball.

In an effort to create more vibrant cultural and sports spaces at the Cho Nho Night Street, Pleiku Ward (Gia Lai Province) will organize an artistic roller skating showcase themed “Glide to New Heights, Spread the Movement.” 

Vietnam’s leading Muay fighters delivered a series of dramatic and high-level bouts at the 2026 National Muay Club Championship in Pleiku, drawing large crowds and showcasing the country’s top martial arts talent.

Lộc Thị Phương Anh, an amateur runner from Quy Nhơn Nam ward in central Vietnam, has emerged as a standout figure in the country’s trail running community after finishing second in the 250 km category at the Prenn Trail Summit 2025 in Lâm Đồng.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai suffered a 0–1 home defeat to Ho Chi Minh City Police on Saturday in the 2025–2026 V.League, after failing to capitalize on early chances at Pleiku Stadium.

The organizing committee of the Gia Lai City Trail 2026 has unveiled the official race routes ahead of bib registration opening on March 12, outlining five distances designed to take runners through the landscapes and cultural setting of Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

Nearly 400 fighters from 41 muay clubs across Vietnam gathered in Gia Lai Province on Tuesday for the opening of the 2026 National Muay Club Championship, marking the first major sporting event in the province’s National Tourism Year 2026 programme.

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.