Weightlifting was a main sport in the 2003 Afro-Asian Games held in Hyderabad, India from 25 - 31 October 2003. The Afro-Asian Games were an inter-continental, multi-sport competition held between nations in the continents of Africa and Asia. The inaugural edition was hosted by Hyderabad in 2003. The weightlifting events took place at the 2,000-capacity Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium, with fifteen individual weight classes. It featured both men's and women's categories, with weight classes ranging between 48 kg and 105+ kg. Athletes from China bagged gold medals in seven categories. This was the last edition of the Games, as the 2007 event (to be held in Algiers, Algeria) was indefinitely postponed.
Qualification
Qualification for the Games depended upon the performance of the countries in other major multi-sport events. Since these Games featured delegations from two continents, the qualification criteria for nations from the different continents was different. The qualification of the African nations was based on their performance in the 2003 All-Africa Games held in Abuja, Nigeria.[1] The qualification for the Asian nations was based on their performance in the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea.[1]
Schedule
The weightlifting events took place between 25 - 31 October 2003 at the Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Each day featured two slots at 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM, with an additional slot on 31st October for 75+ kg (women) category.[2]
Out of the fifteen weight classes, eligible athletes qualified into only eleven classes. The 62 kg (men), 105+ kg (men), 75 kg (women), and 75+ kg (women) did not produce results. Medals were not awarded for these four classes. China won a gold medal in seven of the remaining classes, the highest tally amongst competing nations.[2]
