Shinichi Fukushima, the skipper of one of Japan’s strongest bike racing clubs, has come to Vietnam hoping to give young Vietnamese cyclists a chance to earn US$1,000,000 a year.

Fukushima, from Rider Team Equipe Asada, said he was aware Vietnam had some young cyclists with excellent prospects.

He said he already had a list of recommended racers.

When asked who had been recommended, Fukushima turned on his laptop and displayed the names of Mai Nguyen Hung, Le Van Duan and Bui Minh Thuy.

Rider Team Equipe Asada was set up in 1998 with 12 cyclists and it is now one of the most powerful teams in Japan.

It is sponsored by the Japanese arm of internet giant Yahoo.

Every year its racers participate in more than 40 local and international competitions.

Apart from local Japanese cyclists, the club selects young racers from other Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore to supplement its team.

Fukushima didn’t reveal his club’s selection plan for Vietnam but said he would spend two days testing young racers.

He said he had been told Vietnam didn’t have good training facilities, so the club would take selected cyclists to Thailand for three months of training.

After that, the cyclists would undergo further tests to determine whether they would be sent to France for a long-term intensive training course at world-class facilities.

Fukushima said his club could choose all three, two, one or even none of the male cyclists on his list of recommended athletes.

The Japanese club captain said the club would pay for all food, accommodation and training of the chosen cyclists.

Furthermore, they will get a yearly salary of at least $1,000,000 if they were selected for the official team competing in the Japanese and international competitions.

Additionally, they would be allowed to compete in major races for their club and their nation.

Only doctors and pharmacists granted “drug promoter” licenses would be permitted to advertise, according to the ministry.

The drug ads will be permitted, however, on websites and e-newspapers licensed by related agencies which have specified spaces “for drugs advertisements only.”

The ministry’s move follows recent campaigns which misled consumers about drugs’ effectiveness.

The draft legislation, if it goes through, would help improve the public’s safe use of medical drugs, the ministry said.

Source: TN