Jeito Capital becomes key investor in Alentis Therapeutics as part of $67 million Series B financing round

Jeito Capital becomes key investor in Alentis Therapeutics as part of $67 million Series B financing round

  • Jeito Capital selects Alentis Therapeutics as its fifth investment since launching the fund
  • Alentis is focused on the development of breakthrough treatments for fibrotic diseases and associated cancers

Paris, France, 15 June 2021 – Jeito Capital (Jeito), a rapidly emerging independent Private Equity firm dedicated to biotech and biopharma, today announces that it has become a key investor as part of a $67 million Series B financing round in Alentis Therapeutics (Alentis). The Swiss biotech company, a spin-off of French Inserm with R&D in Strasbourg, France, is developing breakthrough therapies for patients suffering from fibrotic diseases and associated cancers.

Proceeds from the financing round will be used for proof-of-concept clinical trials of Alentis’ first-in-class assets, uniquely targeting fibrosis pathways for the treatment of life-threatening advanced liver and kidney fibrosis as well as associated cancers. Alentis expects to initiate its first clinical trial by the end of 2021.

Jeito’s investment aims to enable Alentis to accelerate the clinical pathway for various indications, with the potential to provide life-changing treatments to severely ill patients who have no other options. The investment will also give the Company the opportunity to expand its pipeline and explore further indications, including fibrotic associated cancers.

The financing round brings in Jeito Capital and Morningside Venture Investments alongside existing investors BioMed Partners, BB Pureos Bioventures, Bpifrance, High-Tech Gründerfonds and Schroders Capital. Following the fundraise, Rafaèle Tordjman, Founder and CEO of Jeito Capital, will join Alentis’ Board of Directors.

This is Jeito’s fifth investment since launching its fund in 2020. With more than €250 million under management, Jeito Capital is building a strong and diversified portfolio in biotech and biopharma companies based in Europe with global reach focused on the treatment of life-threatening diseases. Previous investments include French companies SparingVision and InnoSkel, respectively in the fields of ophthalmology and rare skeletal disorders, Dutch biotech Neogene Therapeutics in solid tumors, and recently Pulmocide in respiratory diseases, based in the UK.

Alentis is led by a highly experienced management team from the biotech and pharma industries. The Company’s science is based on more than 10 years of research by founder Thomas Baumert, a world class hepatology expert who currently serves as the head of Inserm’s Institute of Viral and Liver Diseases. Prof. Baumert’s research in Claudin-1 is unique and, until now, has not been explored as a potential treatment target for fibrotic diseases.

Rafaèle Tordjman, founder and CEO of Jeito, said:Our investment in Alentis at this pivotal time of development will be crucial for its success and we are looking forward to working closely alongside their very experienced team. Our expertise lies in helping management teams from the science right through to commercialization of the product and here we will aim to accelerate Alentis’ efforts towards the initiation of the company’s first clinical trials. This represents our fifth investment in our diverse portfolio and strengthens our commitment to investing in European biotechs working towards the development of lifesaving assets targeted at diseases with unmet need based on outstanding science.

Dr. Roberto Iacone, Chief Executive Officer at Alentis Therapeutics, said: “We are delighted to have closed this financing round with new investors Jeito Capital and Morningside Venture Investments, two well respected and highly knowledgeable institutions within the healthcare space who will bring invaluable experience to the Board as we progress towards the initiation of our first clinical trials. Building on 20 years of work and positive preclinical data collected on ALE.F02, we are confident in the success of the upcoming trials as we work with both new and existing investors towards commercialization, providing a much needed safe and effective treatment to patients suffering from fibrotic diseases and hepatobiliary cancers.”

About Jeito Capital
Jeito Capital is a global leading investment company with a patient benefit driven approach that finances and accelerates ground-breaking medical innovation. Jeito empowers and supports entrepreneurs through its expert, integrated, multi-talented team and through the investment of significant capital to ensure the growth of companies, building market leaders in their respective therapeutic areas with accelerated patients’ access in Europe & the United States. Jeito Capital is based in Paris with a presence in Europe and the United States. For more information, please visit www.jeito.life, or follow on Twitter @Jeito_life or LinkedIn.

About Alentis Therapeutics
Alentis Therapeutics is a Swiss-based biotech that focuses on developing breakthrough treatments for fibrotic diseases. The company was founded in 2019 based on ground-breaking research in the laboratory of Prof. Thomas Baumert MD at the University of Strasbourg and the French National Institute of Health (Inserm).

The company’s lead candidates are monoclonal antibodies that are highly selective for Claudin-1, a novel, previously unexploited target with a unique mechanism of action that plays a key role in the pathology of liver fibrosis and fibrosis-driven hepatobiliary cancers. It also has early discovery programs exploring the potential of Claudin-1 inhibition in the treatment of fibrosis of other tissues including the kidney and lung. These represent very large and expanding markets with high unmet need. Furthermore, the company uses a patient-derived drug and target discovery platform to develop medicines for advanced fibrosis.

Unlike current therapies in fibrosis, which mostly address the disease indirectly, Alentis’ pioneering approach has the potential to directly modify and reverse the course of disease progression.

Alentis is headquartered in Basel’s pharma-biotech hub in Switzerland with a subsidiary for R&D in Strasbourg, France.

For more information, visit https://alentis.ch/

For more information please contact:

Jeito Capital

Rafaèle Tordjman, Founder and CEO

contact@jeito.life

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott / Melissa Gardiner / Davide Salvi / Kris Lam

Jeito@consilium-comms.com

Tel: + 33 (0) 6 35 36 35 00

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700

LeddarTech Makes a Welcome Return to In-Person Events as a Lead Sponsor and Exhibitor at Tech.AD 2021 in Berlin, Germany

The Westfield AutoSweep POD

Westfield’s AutoSweep POD, the UK’s first fully autonomous pure electric road sweeper, featuring LeddarTech’s Leddar Pixell.

LeddarTech joins Tech.AD Europe as the Lead Sponsor and as both a presenter and exhibitor at this live event at the Titanic Chaussee Berlin, Germany, on July 1-2, 2021. Join LeddarTech either in person or digitally by registering today at autonomous-driving-berlin.com.

QUEBEC CITY, June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LeddarTech®, a global leader in Level 1-5 ADAS and AD sensing technology, is excited to be reigniting its physical event calendar as a lead sponsor and keynote speaker of Tech.AD. Tech.AD has long been recognized as one of Europe’s leading technical ADAS and AD conferences. LeddarTech’s CTO Pierre Olivier will serve on the honorary jury for the 8th Annual Tech.AD Europe Awards. These awards honor individuals and organizations who have designed exceptional solutions or products that contribute to ADAS/AD automotive development.

With a focus on environmental sensing that reimagines ADAS and AD solutions, the LeddarTech team will be participating in several capacities at this event.

Keynote presentation: July 1, 2021, 4:45 p.m. – 5:05 p.m. CET

Topic: Sensing Modalities, Sensor Fusion, and Perception for Autonomous Driving. The speaker, Pierre Olivier, Chief Technology Officer of LeddarTech, will explore the challenges and exciting opportunities facing the ADAS and AD business community.

World Café session: July 2, 2021, 1:15 p.m. – 3:35 p.m. CET

Topic: Sensor Café – Object Fusion vs. Raw Sensor Fusion – What Is the Superior Solution? Moderators: Reza Rashidi Far, PhD, and André Malz, PhD, of LeddarTech’s Strategic Product Management division.

Exhibition booth (6): July 1-2, 2021.

LeddarTech will feature solutions that solve critical sensing and perception challenges across the automotive and mobility value chain. LeddarTech will present these solutions through an innovative approach of on-site and live-streaming demonstrations of:

  • Mobility and ITS sensors, including the recently released Leddar™ Sight LiDAR and the award-winning Leddar™ Pixell;
  • LeddarVision™, a sensor-fusion and perception solution that delivers highly accurate 3D environmental models for L1-5 autonomy;
  • Special Feature: the Westfield AutoSweep, the UK’s first fully autonomous pure electric road sweeper, featuring the Leddar Pixell.
The Westfield AutoSweep POD

Westfield’s AutoSweep POD, the UK’s first fully autonomous pure electric road sweeper, featuring LeddarTech’s Leddar Pixell.

“Our technical teams from Israel, Germany, and Italy are excited to be joining our esteemed colleagues, peers, and partners at Tech.AD. Our much-anticipated return to in-person events is especially significant as we will be showcasing our customer Westfield’s autonomous AutoSweep POD, which features the Leddar Pixell,” stated Daniel Aitken, Vice-President, Global Marketing, Communications, and Product Management at LeddarTech. “Tech.AD provides an excellent opportunity to engage with many leaders in the industry both virtually and in person, and we look forward to demonstrating our latest technology, sharing our vision, and engaging with our customers,” Mr. Aitken continued. “Tech.AD is making all efforts to implement precautions to ensure a safe and fulfilling event for all delegates, and I welcome you to visit us in person or online during the event in July,” concluded Mr. Aitken.

For more information about Tech.AD, visit autonomous-driving-berlin.com.

Prior to Tech.AD register for the Automotive IQ Webinar: June 29, 2021, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET

Topic: A Clean Sweep: How Adopting Autonomous Vehicle and EV Technology Is Paving the Way to Increased Road Sweeper Efficiency and Safety While Reducing Environmental Impact. Join Pierre Olivier, CTO of LeddarTech and Julian Turner, CEO of Westfield Technology Group, for this Automotive IQ hosted event.

Register here.

About LeddarTech

LeddarTech is a leader in environmental sensing platforms for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems. Founded in 2007, LeddarTech has evolved to become a comprehensive end-to-end environmental sensing company by enabling customers to solve critical sensing and perception challenges across the entire value chain of the automotive and mobility market segments. With its LeddarVision™ sensor-fusion and perception platform and its cost-effective, scalable, and versatile LiDAR development solution for automotive-grade solid-state LiDARs based on the LeddarEngine™, LeddarTech enables Tier 1-2 automotive system integrators to develop full-stack sensing solutions for autonomy level 1 to 5. These solutions are actively deployed in autonomous shuttles, trucks, buses, delivery vehicles, smart cities/factories, and robotaxi applications. The company is responsible for several innovations in cutting-edge automotive and mobility remote-sensing applications, with over 95 patented technologies (granted or pending) enhancing ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities.

Additional information about LeddarTech is accessible at www.leddartech.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Contact:
Daniel Aitken, Vice-President, Global Marketing, Communications, and Product Management, LeddarTech Inc.
Tel.: + 1-418-653-9000 ext. 232
daniel.aitken@leddartech.com

Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarSteer, LeddarEngine, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, LeddarCore, VAYADrive, VayaVision, and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeddarTech Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2f336faf-ccca-4167-939e-c1dfcfc4c897

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84aebadf-f893-466e-8144-9b31e4d79c26

LeddarTech กลับคืนสู่งานอีเว้นท์แบบพบปะรวมตัวในฐานะผู้สนับสนุนหลักและผู้จัดแสดงที่งาน Tech.AD 2021 ในกรุงเบอร์ลิน ประเทศเยอรมนี

Westfield AutoSweep POD

AutoSweep POD ของ Westfield เป็นรถกวาดถนนไฟฟ้าแบบไร้คนขับอัตโนมัติเต็มรูปแบบเครื่องแรกของสหราชอาณาจักร ที่ใช้งาน Leddar Pixell ของ LeddarTech

LeddarTech เข้าร่วมงาน Tech.AD Europe ในฐานะผู้สนับสนุนหลักและเป็นทั้งผู้นำเสนอและผู้จัดแสดงในงานอีเว้นท์สดนี้ที่ Titanic Chaussee Berlin ประเทศเยอรมนี ในวันที่ 1-2 กรกฎาคม 2021 พบกับ LeddarTech ทั้งแบบพบกันตัวต่อตัวหรือแบบดิจิทัลโดยลงทะเบียนวันนี้ที่ autonomous-driving-berlin.com

ควิเบก ซิตี้, June 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LeddarTech® ผู้นำระดับโลกด้านเทคโนโลยีการตรวจจับ ADAS และ AD ระดับ 1-5 รู้สึกตื่นเต้นที่จะได้กลับมาร่วมงานในสถานที่จริงอีกครั้งในฐานะผู้สนับสนุนหลักและผู้บรรยายหลักของงาน Tech.AD โดยงาน Tech.AD ได้รับการยอมรับว่าเป็นหนึ่งในการประชุม ADAS และ AD ด้านเทคนิคชั้นนำของยุโรป Pierre Olivier, CTO ของ LeddarTech จะทำหน้าที่เป็นคณะกรรมการตัดสินกิตติมศักดิ์สำหรับรางวัล Tech.AD Europe ประจำปีครั้งที่ 8 รางวัลเหล่านี้มอบเป็นเกียรติแก่บุคคลและองค์กรที่ออกแบบโซลูชันหรือผลิตภัณฑ์ที่โดดเด่นซึ่งมีส่วนช่วยในการพัฒนายานยนต์ ADAS/AD

ด้วยการมุ่งเน้นไปที่การตรวจวัดสภาพแวดล้อมที่จะกำหนดอนาคตโซลูชัน ADAS และ AD ทีม LeddarTech จะเข้าร่วมงานนี้ในหลายๆ ส่วน

การนำเสนอที่สำคัญ: 1 กรกฎาคม 2021, 16:45 น. – 17:05 น. CET

หัวข้อ: รูปแบบการตรวจจับ การรวมสัญญาณเซ็นเซอร์ และการรับรู้สำหรับการขับขี่อัตโนมัติ ผู้บรรยาย Pierre Olivier หัวหน้าเจ้าหน้าที่ฝ่ายเทคโนโลยีของ LeddarTech จะสำรวจความท้าทายและโอกาสที่น่าตื่นเต้นที่ชุมชนธุรกิจ ADAS และ AD ต้องเผชิญ

เซสชัน World Café: 2 กรกฎาคม 2021, 13:15 น. – 15:35 น. CET

หัวข้อ: Sensor Café – Object Fusion กับ Raw Sensor Fusion – อะไรคือโซลูชันที่เหนือกว่า ผู้ดำเนินการ: Reza Rashidi Far, PhD และ André Malz, PhD, แผนกการจัดการผลิตภัณฑ์เชิงกลยุทธ์ของ LeddarTech

บูธนิทรรศการ (6): 1-2 กรกฎาคม 2021

LeddarTech จะนำเสนอโซลูชันที่ช่วยแก้ปัญหาการตรวจจับและการรับรู้ที่สำคัญทั่วทั้งห่วงโซ่คุณค่ายานยนต์และการเคลื่อนที่ LeddarTech จะนำเสนอโซลูชันเหล่านี้ผ่านแนวทางที่ล้ำสมัยของการสาธิตในงานและการสตรีมสดของ:

  • เซ็นเซอร์การเคลื่อนที่และ ITS รวมถึง Leddar™ Sight LiDAR ที่เปิดตัวเมื่อไม่นานมานี้และ Leddar™ Pixell ที่ได้รับรางวัล
  • LeddarVision™ โซลูชันการรวมสัญญาณและการรับรู้ที่มอบแบบจำลองสภาพแวดล้อม 3 มิติที่แม่นยำสูงสำหรับยานยนต์อัตโนมัติระดับ 1-5
  • หัวข้อเด่น: Westfield AutoSweep รถกวาดถนนไฟฟ้าแบบไร้คนขับอัตโนมัติเต็มรูปแบบคันแรกของสหราชอาณาจักร ที่ใช้ Leddar Pixell
Westfield AutoSweep POD

AutoSweep POD ของ Westfield เป็นรถกวาดถนนไฟฟ้าแบบไร้คนขับอัตโนมัติเต็มรูปแบบเครื่องแรกของสหราชอาณาจักร ที่ใช้งาน Leddar Pixell ของ LeddarTech

“ทีมเทคนิคของเราจากอิสราเอล เยอรมนี และอิตาลีรู้สึกตื่นเต้นที่จะได้ร่วมงานกับเพื่อนร่วมงาน เพื่อนๆ และพันธมิตรที่งาน Tech.AD การกลับมาเข้าร่วมกิจกรรมแบบพบปะตัวต่อตัวที่เราตั้งตารอนั้นมีความสำคัญอย่างยิ่ง เนื่องจากเราจะจัดแสดง AutoSweep POD อัตโนมัติของ Westfield ซึ่งใช้ Leddar Pixell ต่อลูกค้าของเรา” Daniel Aitken รองประธานฝ่ายการตลาด การสื่อสาร และการจัดการผลิตภัณฑ์ระดับโลกของ LeddarTech กล่าว “Tech.AD มอบโอกาสที่ยอดเยี่ยมในการมีส่วนร่วมกับผู้นำจำนวนมากในอุตสาหกรรม ทั้งแบบเสมือนจริงและแบบตัวต่อตัว และเราหวังว่าจะได้สาธิตเทคโนโลยีล่าสุด แบ่งปันวิสัยทัศน์ และมีส่วนร่วมกับลูกค้าของเรา” Mr. Aitken ได้กล่าวต่อ “Tech.AD พยายามอย่างเต็มที่ในการนำมาตรการป้องกันมาใช้เพื่อให้แน่ใจถึงความปลอดภัยและความพึงพอใจของตัวแทน และเราเชิญให้คุณมาเยี่ยมเราด้วยตัวคุณเองหรือแบบออนไลน์ระหว่างการจัดงานในเดือนกรกฎาคม” Mr. Aitken กล่าวสรุป

สำหรับข้อมูลเพิ่มเติมเกี่ยวกับ Tech.AD โปรดไปที่ autonomous-driving-berlin.com

ลงทะเบียนเข้าร่วมการสัมมนาออนไลน์ Automotive IQ ก่อนงาน Tech.AD: 29 มิถุนายน 2021, 11:00 น. – 12:00 น. ET

หัวข้อ: A Clean Sweep: การนำเทคโนโลยียานยนต์ไร้คนขับและเทคโนโลยี EV มาใช้เป็นการปูทางไปสู่การเพิ่มประสิทธิภาพและความปลอดภัยของรถกวาดถนนพร้อมทั้งลดผลกระทบต่อสิ่งแวดล้อมได้อย่างไร พบกับ Pierre Olivier, CTO ของ LeddarTech และ Julian Turner, CEO ของ Westfield Technology Group สำหรับงาน Automotive IQ ที่จัดขึ้นมานี้

ลงทะเบียนที่นี่

เกี่ยวกับ LeddarTech

LeddarTech เป็นผู้นำในด้านแพลตฟอร์มการตรวจจับสภาพแวดล้อมสำหรับยานยนต์อัตโนมัติและระบบช่วยเหลือผู้ขับขี่ขั้นสูง LeddarTech ก่อตั้งในปี 2007 โดยได้พัฒนาเป็นบริษัทการตรวจจับสภาพแวดล้อมแบบครบวงจรโดยให้ลูกค้าสามารถแก้ไขปัญหาการตรวจจับและการรับรู้ที่สำคัญได้ทั่วทั้งห่วงโซ่คุณค่าของตลาดยานยนต์และการเคลื่อนที่ ด้วยแพลตฟอร์มการรวมสัญญาณเซ็นเซอร์และการรับรู้ของ LeddarVision™ และโซลูชันการพัฒนา LiDAR ที่คุ้มค่า ปรับขนาดได้ และอเนกประสงค์ LiDAR แบบโซลิดสเตตระดับยานยนต์ที่ใช้งาน LeddarEngine™ ทำให้ LeddarTech ช่วยให้ผู้วางระบบยานยนต์ระดับ Tier 1-2 พัฒนาโซลูชันการตรวจจับแบบครอบคลุมทั้งหมดสำหรับยานยนต์อัตโนมัติระดับ 1 ถึง 5 โซลูชันนี้ได้รับการปรับใช้ในการใช้งานรถรับส่งขับขี่อัตโนมัติ รถบรรทุก รถโดยสารประจำทาง รถส่งสินค้า เมือง/โรงงานอัจฉริยะ และแท็กซี่ไร้คนขับ บริษัทเป็นผู้รับผิดชอบในการคิดค้นนวัตกรรมใหม่ๆ ในแอปพลิเคชันตรวจจับยานยนต์และการเคลื่อนที่ระยะไกลที่ทันสมัยด้วยเทคโนโลยีที่จดสิทธิบัตรมากกว่า 95 รายการ (จดสิทธิบัตรแล้วหรือรอดำเนินการ) ที่ช่วยเสริมขีดความสามารถ ADAS และการขับขี่แบบอัตโนมัติ

สามารถดูข้อมูลเพิ่มเติมเกี่ยวกับ LeddarTech ได้ที่ www.leddartech.com และบน LinkedInTwitterFacebook และ YouTube

ติดต่อ:
Daniel Aitken รองประธานฝ่ายการตลาด การสื่อสารและการจัดการผลิตภัณฑ์ระดับโลก LeddarTech Inc.
โทร: + 1-418-653-9000 ต่อ 232
daniel.aitken@leddartech.com

Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarSteer, LeddarEngine, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, LeddarCore, VAYADrive, VayaVision และโลโก้ที่เกี่ยวข้องเป็นเครื่องหมายการค้าหรือเครื่องหมายการค้าจดทะเบียนของ LeddarTech Inc. และบริษัทในเครือ แบรนด์ ชื่อผลิตภัณฑ์ และเครื่องหมายต่างๆ ทั้งหมดเป็นหรืออาจเป็นเครื่องหมายการค้าที่ใช้เพื่อระบุถึงผลิตภัณฑ์หรือบริการต่างๆ ของเจ้าของที่เกี่ยวข้อง

สามารถรับชมรูปภาพประกอบของการแถลงนี้ได้ที่:

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Vietnamese shooter invited to compete at Tokyo Olympics

Vietnam has received an invitation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete in shooting at the coming Tokyo Olympics.

The IOC offered a slot to one Vietnamese athlete in the men’s 10m air pistol category and asked the Vietnam Shooting Federation to send an outstanding or well-known marksman to the Games this July.

At the last Games in Rio five years ago, shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh secured the country’s first Olympic gold in the 10m air pistol.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced many tournaments to be cancelled or delayed, Vinh and his teammates failed to secure a berth in Tokyo.

The Vietnam Shooting Federation has nominated Vinh for the position.

The 47-year-old Vinh became the first Vietnamese shooter to rank No 1 in the world after his Olympic victory, but has performed poorly since and now sits at No 38.

Shooting is the 14th slot for Vietnam at the July 23-August 8 event, following those in taekwondo, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, badminton, rowing, archery and weightlifting. More slots in athletics and boxing will be confirmed later./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Three Vietnamese weightlifters to compete in Olympics

Three Vietnamese weightlifters have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics next month.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) sent a letter of confirmation to the Vietnam Weightlifting Federation late last week.

The letter said Thach Kim Tuan in the men’s 61kg class, Vuong Thi Huyen in the women’s 49kg category and Hoang Thi Duyen in the women’s 59kg pool were all eligible to compete in Tokyo.

The Vietnamese governing body must send its confirmation by June 25. However, the IWF reserves the right to withdraw quotas or ban athletes from participation based on the decision of its Executive Board in accordance with the qualification system or decision of the Independent Member Federations Sanctioning Panel in accordance with anti-doping rules and athlete eligibility.

In the latest IWF rankings, Huyen is No 7 in her category with 2,902 points. The 28-year-old also competed in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Huyen is one of Vietnam’s top weightlifters and has won titles at the Asian championships, World Cup and SEA Games, as well as a world championship bronze.

Duyen, 25, is fourth in her pool with 3,463 points. She won the first international medal of the year for Vietnam by finishing third at the Asian Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in January. Three months later, the SEA Games reigning champion brought home bronze from the Asian championship in Uzbekistan. Earlier, the Giay ethnic minority woman secured three golds from the Italian World Cup in 2020.

Tuan, who sits at No 3 in the world, will also compete in his second Olympics, following the 2016 event.

The 27-year-old is a national star in the 56kg class and made his name in prestigious tournaments over 10 years before the IWF changed its system and the class was replaced with the 55kg pool in 2018. Tuan moved to compete in the 61kg category and he pocketed three golds from the Italian World Cup in 2020 and silvers from the 2019 SEA Games.

“I breathed a sigh of relief when receiving the IWF letter. We will not lose our berths because of doping fines as we were warned previously,” said Do Dinh Khang, General Secretary of the Vietnam Weightlifting Federation.

In November 2020, the IWF announced that two young Vietnamese lifters, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang and Bui Dinh Sang, failed doping tests. The two world junior champions received bans from the IWF.

Earlier, senior lifters Trinh Van Vinh and Nguyen Thi Phuong Thanh committed the same infraction in 2019.

These scandals threatened Vietnam’s weightlifting participation in Tokyo as IWF rules state any country with three or more doping cases during Olympics qualification starting from November 2018 may lose their Olympic slots or even be banned.

“It is great that all three athletes are qualified. We have sent a letter explaining our situation and told them that the four banned ones had no relation to those who took part in the Olympic qualification. These three are clear of doping and work hard for competitions. It would not be fair if they are sidelined from the Olympics because of others’ mistakes,” Khang was quoted as saying by tuoitre.vn.

“In the coming time, the world governing body may add further fines for these violations,” he added.

Vietnam has secured 13 berths at the Tokyo Games. They are in taekwondo (1), swimming (1), gymnastics (2), boxing (1), archery (2), rowing (1), badminton (2) and weightlifting (3). Meanwhile, one slot each in athletics and boxing will be announced in the coming weeks./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Both Vietnam, UAE determined to gain win in World Cup qualifying match

With a yellow card in the previous match against Malaysia, head coach of the Vietnamese national team Park Hang-seo has outlined all scenarios and strategies for his assistant Lee Young-jin to convey to Vietnamese players in preparation for their match against the United Arabian Emirates (UAE) on June 15 in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

At a press conference ahead the match, Park said the strategy remains in the right place though the UAE beat three other Southeast Asian rivals, namely Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

He continuously urged his players to not rest on their laurels after winning regional teams.

Vietnam previously beat the UEA 1-0 in the first leg with a goal by Tien Linh. A similar result is not an impossible task for the team.

“They are really a strong team. We are on top of the group but UAE players’ physique and technique are among the best in Asia. But I still have plan which will be used to help us win this match,” Park said.

Meanwhile, the UAE’s coach Bert van Mawijk also emphasised that his team targeted winning the game against Vietnam.

He acknowledged that it will not be easy, but his team know what to do.

All the players will show their best ability and skills before Vietnamese rivals in the game, he said.

Vietnam with 17 points need only a draw to make history. A loss with minimum result could also be enough as they may qualify as the best second-placed team.

Meanwhile the hosts, on 15 points, must win to take top place and qualify, otherwise they would be ousted./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

ESPN commends golden generation of Vietnamese football

The international sport newswire ESPN on June 15 ran an article lauding the golden generation of Vietnamese football, right before a match against the hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) to compete for the top place in group G of the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and progress to the third round for the first time ever.

Throughout the history of football, very few national teams have had the privilege of boasting exceptionally gifted talents breaking through at the same time, ESPN wrote.

Having a prodigious group of players is one thing, delivering on its potential is a completely different matter. With Vietnam on the brink of going the furthest they have ever gone in the quest to reach the FIFA World Cup, there is no better time for their golden generation to shine than on June 15 when they take on the UAE, according to the newswire.

Labelling any group as the “golden generation” is going to be subjective, so what makes the current Vietnamese cohort so special?

It began in January 2018 when they reached the final of the AFC U-23 Championship and beating teams like Australia, Iraq and Qatar in the process.

They backed that up at senior level at the end of that year, ending a decade-long wait to be crowned champions of Southeast Asia for a second time when they won the AFF Suzuki Cup, despite having a squad with an average age of just 23.7 years.

A month later, they were making their first AFC Asian Cup appearance in 12 years and again proved they had the mettle to go with their talent. They progressed out of a tough group that included heavyweights Iran and Iraq and then beat Jordan in the Round of 16 before narrowly bowing out at the hands of mighty Japan.

But the Vietnamese could arguably surpass all those achievements tonight.

According to the article, plenty of credit has to go to Vietnam’s coach Park Hang-seo.

Suffice to say, Park can and is now viewed as a fine tactician in his own right.

In the morning of the same day, Park finalised the list of 23 players for the match against the UAE.

Specifically, goalkeepers include Bui Tan Truong, Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Van Hoang.

Defenders are Do Duy Manh, Tran Dinh Trong, Nguyen Thanh Chung, Doan Van Hau, Vu Van Thanh, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy, Que Ngoc Hai, Bui Tien Dung, Nguyen Trong Hoang and Nguyen Thanh Binh.

Midfielders comprise Nguyen Quang Hai, Pham Duc Huy, Luong Xuan Truong, Tran Minh Vuong and Nguyen Hoang Duc.

Strikers include Nguyen Van Toan, Nguyen Cong Phuong, Nguyen Tien Linh, Ha Duc Chinh and Phan Van Duc./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

National football team to return home on June 17 after match against UAE

A Bamboo Airways flight bringing the Vietnamese football team will land at Da Nang International Airport on June 17 morning, instead of Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport as in an initial plan.

The adjustment is made due to complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City.

They may be quarantined in the central city of Da Nang.

Five players of Viettel club – Que Ngoc Hai, Bui Tien Dung, Nguyen Trong Hoang, Nguyen Thanh Binh and Nguyen Hoang Duc – will not return home with the team. They will fly to Bangkok, Thailand, to prepare for AFC Champions League qualifiers.

At 23:45 on June 15, Vietnam will have the “final” match of Group G against the United Arab Emirates in the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers.

Vietnam with 17 points need only a draw to make history to advance to the third and also final round of World Cup qualification. A loss with minimum result could also be enough as they may qualify as the best second-placed team.

Meanwhile the hosts, on 15 points, must win to take top place and qualify, otherwise they would be ousted./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency