The national-level swimming contest for pupils entitled ‘Green Race’ 2018 is taking place at the Da Nang Swimming Club from 30 July - 5 August.

It was jointly organised by the General Department for Sports and Physical Training, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.

This year’s event attracts as many as 400 primary, junior and senior high school pupils in 19 teams from 18 cities and provinces nationwide.

They are divided into 5 age groups: 6-8 and 9-11 for primary school pupils, 12-13 and 14-15 for junior high school pupils, and 16-18 for senior high school pupils.

Mr Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Head of the event’s Organising Board, said that drowning is the leading cause of death in children in Viet Nam. He, therefore, highlighted the importance of swimming training programmes for pupils in preventing and reducing deaths of children by drowning.