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The 2003 Afro-Asian Games, officially known as the First Afro-Asian Games or I Afro-Asian Games and unofficially known as the Inaugural Afro-Asian Games, was a major international
multi-sport A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...
held in
Hyderabad, India Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the '' de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern In ...
, from 24 October (excluding
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and
hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
, which began on 22 October and 23 October respectively) to 1 November 2003. The Afro-Asian Games was the largest sporting event ever to be held in Hyderabad, and one of the largest in India, second only to the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
by athletes' volume. The scale of these Games exceeds even the two
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
held in
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
in
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
(both by athletes' volume and by number of participating nations) and
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
(by number of participating nations). More than 2000 athletes from 96 countries competed in the Games. A total of 131
sporting events Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
in eight disciplines were conducted. Also, 120 countries sent 1,565 official representatives to these Games. The First
Afro-Asian Games The Afro-Asian Games were the series of inter-continental multi-sport competitions, held between athletes from Asia and Africa. These Games are one-of-a-kind, since no other sporting competition brings athletes from these two continents together ...
were held after nearly two decades of delays, shifts and cancellations. The prolonged amount of time for these Games considerably reduced interest in them. After the preliminary decision of hosting the Games, the venue was shuttled between
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
and
Kuwait City Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...
. At the last moment, New Delhi was out favoured by
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
, which had hosted the
National Games of India The National Games of India consist of various disciplines in which athletes from the different states of India participate against each other. The country's first few Olympic Games, now renamed as National Games, were held in North India (De ...
in 2002. These Games, however, had lesser scope than the
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
or
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
, since 96 nations participated in only eight disciplines. The Games witnessed only one new world record. Thirty-seven countries - an unprecedented 39% of the participating nations - won at least one medal in these Games.


History

The idea to hold an inter-continental sporting event between Asia and Africa was initiated in April 1983, with
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
as the proposed venue. However, for unknown circumstances, the venue was shifted to
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
and the Games were proposed to be held in 1985. Political instability led to the cancellation of the Games. In 1989, the proposal was reconsidered, with New Delhi again chosen as the venue for the Games. The Games were then scheduled for 1991. The plans went wrong due to inefficient communication between the members, and so could not come into force. In 1999, a proposal for the renewal of the Games was accepted. Subsequently,
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
and then
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
were proposed as venues. However, they were postponed till November 2001. Slow preparations led to indefinite postponement again. After the occurrence of
9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
, Delhi pulled out. This led to the circulation of rumours that the games were "jinxed". Later, the IOA announced that the
Olympic Council of Asia The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current Acting President is Raja Randhir Singh, substituting Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah. The headquarter ...
(OCA) and the
Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (acronym: ANOCA; french: Association des Comités Nationaux Olympiques d'Afrique, ACNOA, ar, رابطة اللجان الأولمبية الوطنية في إفريقيا) is an internati ...
(ANOCA) had sanctioned 2003 as the new date for the Games. Also, the venue was changed to
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
after Delhi pulled out. Most critics point to the successful hosting of the 32nd
National Games of India The National Games of India consist of various disciplines in which athletes from the different states of India participate against each other. The country's first few Olympic Games, now renamed as National Games, were held in North India (De ...
, which were held at Hyderabad, as the main reason for Hyderabad being chosen.


Preparation

The Indian Government spent 1.03 billion (US$22.92 million), for the Afro-Asian Games, making these Games one of the most expensive sporting events held in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
. All preparations were completed within 60 days before the events began.


General Preparation

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) decided to set up a central head of the development for the Games. Thus, the Afro-Asian Games Secretariat was set up at the ''Greenlands Guest House'' to organize, monitor and manage all the activities related to the Games. 17 functional organizing sub-committees were formed to oversee the development of the venues and other infrastructure. The various functions were divided within these committees. The special officer-in-charge of the Games was Sabyasachi Ghosh, while the Secretary-General of the Games was Ali Moradi. A large development Planning Association meant a great amount of inter-connectivity and communication requirements. A 24-hour call centre with interpreters was set up, using a Closed User Group (CUG) circuit. A large "web" of networking facilities was built to connect all the hotels, media centres, stadia and Transportation Committees. This would help in easing pressure on any one committee. Since the African continent is not very well-connected, an Accreditation Committee was dispatched to
Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
- in
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
- the host city of the
2003 All-Africa Games The 8th All Africa Games were 5–17 October 2003 in Abuja, Nigeria. 53 countries participated in 23 sports. The main venue was the newly constructed Abuja Stadium. The organizing committee was headed by Nigerian Amos Adamu. Venues * Moshood ...
. The Accreditation committee brought all sports-persons and officials from Africa to
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
.


Technology

The software company CMC Limited had developed a Games and Event Management System (GEMS), which helped the organizers to efficiently manage events across the sports venues. It worked closely with
Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...
, the official television broadcasters of the Games, to provide results of sporting competitions and live Games information. Additionally, cutting-edge technology like the implementation of geo-referenced maps and
Geographic Information System A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...
(GIS) was implemented, so as to ensure a smooth and rapid flow of work.


Transport

In the month of September, less than a month away from the Afro-Asian Games, the Transport Ministry of Hyderabad released a large number of luxury vehicles, to be used in the Games. It was the second time in the span of one year that the Transport Ministry had done so - the first time being for the 32nd
National Games of India The National Games of India consist of various disciplines in which athletes from the different states of India participate against each other. The country's first few Olympic Games, now renamed as National Games, were held in North India (De ...
. In an effort to spruce up the city in time for the Games, the organizers arranged several buses, vans and cars to ferry the athletes and the guests.


Accommodation

Accommodation of the athletes and foreign officials posed a serious problem to the organisers. Contrary to what the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
and related
multi-sport events A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...
provide, no actual Games Village was available for the athletes to stay. The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) had initially wanted to have a separate Games Village for the Games, but could not arrange for it. Even though Hyderabad had hosted the 32nd
National Games of India The National Games of India consist of various disciplines in which athletes from the different states of India participate against each other. The country's first few Olympic Games, now renamed as National Games, were held in North India (De ...
in 2002, for which a Games Village had been built, the organizers could not utilise it due to severe financial problems. It was estimated that about 800 million (US$16 million) would be required to upgrade the existing Games Village. The Government of
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) instead opted to obtain bulk bookings from all the major hotels in the city so as to provide accommodation for the athletes, foreign dignitaries and the media.


Security

About 1400 police personnel were drawn from various districts of Andhra Pradesh to provide the first layer of security. In addition to this, over 5000 city policemen were deployed in various places, including the event venues and all the major hotels of the city. Strict anti-sabotage measures were taken to provide security at the athlete hotels. Also, a 24-hour access control system was placed, with sniffer dogs used to sanitise the area. To facilitate foreign athletes and officials, four immigration counters were set up at the airport. A time limit of 30 minutes was laid down to clear any athlete or official. To improve security speed, six interpreters of
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
,
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
,
Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...
,
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
were present at the airport. In addition, 24 specially trained immigration personnel were stationed round the clock in the airport.


Pressure on Organizing Committee

There was a lot of pressure upon the Secretariat for the smooth performance of these Games, as the IOA would keenly observe the Afro-Asian Games, in preparation for the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
at
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, India. Also, officials from
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, China - the venue of
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
- and
Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
,
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
- the host of
2006 Asian Games 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
- would attend the Afro-Asian Games, and keenly observe the way the Games functioned. However, hosting of the Games was not the only major issue for the committee. The Afro-Asian Games would see the participation of various nations which are not in good terms with some other nations. The then Prime Minister of India,
Atal Behari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...
, had hinted that ''"some nations might withdraw from the Games, rather than get embroiled in international conflicts"''.


Marketing

;Logo The logo of the Afro-Asian Games was the
Charminar The Charminar () is a mosque and monument located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Constructed in 1591, the landmark is a symbol of Hyderabad and officially incorporated in the emblem of Telangana The Charminar's long history includes the existe ...
- Hyderabad's most famous landmark - surrounded by a string of pearls. Hyderabad is also famous for its pearls. The official logo of the Games was unveiled, along with the official website, by Chief Minister
Chandrababu Naidu Nara Chandrababu Naidu ( born 20 April 1950) is an Indian politician and current leader of opposition of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He was also the leader of the opposition of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2004 to ...
on 3 September 2003. ;Mascot The Mascot for these Games was ''Sheroo'', also spelt ''Sheru'', a cartoon lion. Subsequently, a variation of the name 'Sheroo', called 'Shera', was also given for the mascot of the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
. ;Sponsorships Several Indian corporates such as
Indian Oil Corporation Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL; d/b/a IndianOil) is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It is headquartered in New Delhi. It is a public sector unde ...
(IOC), GVK Group and
State Bank of Hyderabad State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) was a regional bank in Hyderabad, with headquarters at Gunfoundry, Abids, Hyderabad, Telangana. Founded by the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad State, Mir Osman Ali Khan, it is now one of the five associate banks of State ...
provided sponsorships worth INR 10 million each towards the staging of several events of the inaugural Games. Several other corporates such as
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It is headquartered in New Delhi. ONGC was founded on 14 August 1956 by the ...
(ONGC),
Videocon Videocon Industries Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. The group had 17 manufacturing sites in India and plants in Mainland China, Poland, Italy and Mexico. It was the third largest picture tube manufact ...
and
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It operates three refineries in Bina, Kochi and Mumbai. BPCL is I ...
(BPCL) also contributed to the Games. Also,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
-based
IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...
assisted in the conduct of the Games.


Participating countries

The First Afro-Asian Games were the first time that Asia and Africa came together for such a large event. 43 Asian and 53 African nations participated in this sporting event. Below is a list of all the participating countries in the Inaugural Afro-Asian Games.


Venues

The events of the Games were held across eight stadiums, spread throughout the suburb of Gachibowli. The venues were:


Sports

The program of the Afro-Asian Games was almost the same as that of the
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
, the only difference being in the number of sports. These Games witnessed eight disciplines in eight sports.
Synchronised swimming Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming) or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by FINA (the ''Fédérati ...
and
diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...
were not contested. The list of sports is given below ''(Number in parentheses indicates number of events)''. *
Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...
(41) *
Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
(11) *
Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
(1) *
Field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
(2) *
Shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can ...
(16) *
Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
(38) *
Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
(7) *
Weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift Weight training#Equipment, weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various t ...
(15)


Calendar

The 2003 Afro-Asian Games Calendar is given below.


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 The 8th All Africa Games were 5–17 October 2003 in Abuja, Nigeria. 53 countries participated in 23 sports. The main venue was the newly constructed Abuja Stadium. The organizing committee was headed by Nigerian Amos Adamu. Venues * Moshood ...
held in
Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. The qualification for the Asian nations was based on their performance in the
2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 ...
held in
Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
,
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.


Media coverage


Television

The official television host broadcaster of the Afro-Asian Games was
DD Sports DD Sports is an Indian sports channel telecasting from Central Production Centre Delhi, India. It is a part of the Doordarshan family of networks, and is the main public sports broadcaster in India. History DD Sports was launched on 18 March ...
, India's first sports channel. The experience gained through broadcasting these Games would prove to be extremely helpful for its parent company Doordarshan, as they broadcast the
2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
live and will also be telecasting the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
. However, the schedule of the Games clashed with an ongoing Triangular Cricket Tournament, and the events were aired on DD Metro. Doordarshan deployed 350 personnel, 10 outdoor broadcasting vans and 86 cameras for obtaining coverage of the Games. Additionally, five cameras were used for the Sports news and the sidelights.


Radio

India's premier radio broadcaster, the
All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...
(A.I.R), was the official radio partner of the Games. The AIR hired 150 programmers and engineers for the coverage of the Games.


Ceremonies

The opening and closing ceremonies were described as "eye-filling" and "opulent" by several media centers. The ceremonies cost INR 150 million (US$3.34 million) to execute. Children from India, China and some African nations had practiced for a reported 21 days to ensure the success of the beginning and the end of the Inaugural Games. The settings utilised for the ceremonies were designed by well-known
art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...
and film production designer
Nitin Chandrakant Desai Nitin Chandrakant Desai is a noted Indian art director and production designer of Indian cinema turned film and television producer, most known for his work in Marathi and Hindi Films, World Cultural Festival 2016 at Delhi and films like, ''Hum ...
.


Opening ceremony

The Opening ceremony of the Games were held in the G. M. C. Balayogi Stadium - the main stadium of the events - at 5:30 pm
IST Ist or IST may refer to: Information Science and Technology * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology * Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan * Graduate School ...
. The organisers considered it as ''"a benchmark of the Games"''. The Opening ceremony of the Games showcased the cultural heritage of both the attending continents - Asia and Africa. 30,000 people came to watch the beginning of the gala sporting event. The ceremony, which was hosted by
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
actor
Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awar ...
, was spread over a time period of two hours and forty minutes. Many celebrities, like actor
Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 100 films, ranging from romance to comedy genres, though u ...
and tennis player
Leander Paes Leander Adrian Paes ( ; born 17 June 1973) is an Indian former professional tennis player. He is regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players ever. He holds the record for the most doubles wins in the Davis Cup. Paes won eight men' ...
graced the occasion. Also, six-time
pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...
winner
Sergey Bubka Sergey Nazarovych Bubka ( uk, Сергій Назарович Бубка; born 4 December 1963) is a Ukrainian former pole vaulter. He represented the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Bubka was twice named Athlete of the Year by ''Tr ...
, along with his wife, attended the ceremony. Around 12,000 schoolchildren and college students came up with a show depicting the vast and vibrant culture of the two continents. Chief Guest
L K Advani Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...
declared the Games open. Shooter
Anjali Bhagwat Anjali Bhagwat (born 5 December 1969) is a professional Indian sport shooter. She became the World Number One in 10m Air Rifle in 2002. She also won her first World Cup Final in Milan, in 2003, with a score of 399/400. Anjali won the ISSF ...
took the Athlete's Oath. This was followed by a laser show, fireworks and a space cannon show. The highlight of the Opening ceremony was the ''Umojas'' - a group of professional tribal dancers from Africa. There were other international showcases - the spiritual chanting by the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
monks, and the peace prayers by thousands of schoolchildren. Singer
Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tami ...
sang the theme song. Bollywood divas
Shilpa Shetty Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty; Née Shetty; 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi-language films. Shetty made her screen debut in the thriller ''Baazigar'' (1993) which garnered her nominations for two Filmfare ...
,
Simran Simran (Gurmukhi: ਸਿਮਰਨ; hi, सिमरण, सिमरन ; from Sanskrit: , ''smaraṇa'', 'to remember, reminisce, recollect'), in spirituality, is a Sanskrit word referring to the continuous remembrance of the finest aspect of ...
and
Urmila Matondkar Urmila Matondkar (born 4 February 1974) is an Indian actress and politician. Known for her work primarily in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Tamil films, she has received numerous accolades, including the Filmfare A ...
did dance performances. Unlike the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, there was no individual march past for the countries. The countries came in batches of two - Asian countries in one batch and African countries in another.


Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony of the Games was marked by lights, colour and technology. The closing ceremony was hosted by
Yukta Mookhey Yukta Inderlal Mookhey is an Indian civic activist and the winner of Miss World 1999. She is the fourth Indian woman to win Miss World and was previously crowned as Femina Miss India World in 1999. She is a former model and actress, and has wor ...
. President
APJ Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...
officially closed the Games, in front of a near capacity crowd. His closing words were : "''I congratulate all the athletes and officials who were part of the Games. When I see thousands of sportspersons I am sure the combined power of youth through sport will be the most powerful resource on earth.''" As he did so, the Stadium was lit up in a pyrotechnics display, and fireworks burst in the sky. A "daredevil" act was done by a few service personnel, who came riding on motorcycles. A fly-past of the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
airplanes, trailing smoke in the colours of the
Indian flag The national flag of India, Colloquialism, colloquially called the tricolour, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag of Saffron (color)#India saffron, India saffron, white and Variations of green#India green, India green; with the ', a 24 ...
took place as the dignitaries took their seats. The expected "high-point" of the closing ceremony was the show of
camaraderie The term ''comrade'' (russian: товарищ, tovarisch) generally means 'mate', 'colleague', or 'ally', and derives from the Spanish and Portuguese, term , literally meaning 'chamber mate', from Latin , meaning 'chamber' or 'room'. It may also ...
between the sportspersons of the two continents. However, few athletes trooped into the Stadium for that purpose. The "camaraderie ceremony" was followed by speeches of various important people, among them being IOA President
Suresh Kalmadi Suresh Kalmadi (born 1 May 1944) is an Indian politician who spent 10 months in jail from April 2011 to January 2012 on corruption charges related to his time in charge of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. He was accused of awarding a con ...
, IOA and OCA Secretary-General Raja Randhir Singh, ANOCA President Alfa Ibrahim Diallo,
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
Chief Minister
Chandrababu Naidu Nara Chandrababu Naidu ( born 20 April 1950) is an Indian politician and current leader of opposition of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He was also the leader of the opposition of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2004 to ...
and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports
Vikram Verma Vikram Verma (born 23 January 1944) is an Indian politician and a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. He formerly served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha. He also served as a Minister in the ...
. The speeches were shortly followed by a memento presentation. As night fell, hundreds of Army recruits brought lighted torches, and did the "mashal dance". Laser lights and several technological innovations followed. Sheroo, the mascot, was bid farewell by noted Indian singer Hariharan and many costumed children. The ''Umojas'' performed yet again at the closing ceremony. The
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
State circus was considered "breath-taking". Lebanese singer
Diana Haddad Diana Haddad ( ar, ديانا حداد; born 1 October 1976) is a Lebanese singer, actress, and television personality who also holds Emirati citizenship and is based in the United Arab Emirates. Haddad is one of the most popular Arabic pop mus ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian singer
Hisham Abbas Mohammad Hisham Mahmoud Mohammad Abbas ( ar, محمد هشام محمود محمد عباس; born September 13, 1963), commonly known as just Hisham Abbas , is an Egyptian pop singer best known for his hit song " Habibi Dah (Nari Narain)" and hi ...
and Indian singer
Remo Fernandes Luís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes (born 8 May 1953) is a singer and musician from India with naturalized Portuguese citizenship. Known as a pioneer of Indian pop music, he performs pop/rock/ Indian fusion and is also a film playback sin ...
performed at the closing ceremony as well. The host country was portrayed by a number of traditional folk dances, after which the Games officially ended.


Highlights

* Africa was the clear leader in the
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...
, winning 73 medals as compared to Asia's 47, even though the maximum number of nation-wise medals were garnered by Asian nations (China and India). * Four time Olympic medallist
Frankie Fredericks Frank "Frankie" Fredericks (born 2 October 1967) is a former track and field athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games (two in 1992 and two in 1996), making him Namibia's only ...
(
Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
) won the
200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...
race – the last major tournament win of his distinguished 17-year-long career. * Indian
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player
Sania Mirza Sania Mirza (; born 15 November 1986) is an Indian professional tennis player. A former doubles world No. 1, she has won six major titles – three in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles. From 2003 until her retirement from singles in ...
won four gold medals in the tournament, thereby becoming the largest gold-medal winner in the tennis tournament. * Sun Dan, a 19-year-old Chinese Army officer of the 75-kg category, lifted a weight of 168.5 kg, breaking the previous world record of 168 kg (set by her compatriot Tang Gonghong). In addition,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
n athlete Mike Eamson hoisted a weight of 210 kg, which was the heaviest weight ever lifted in India according to the organisers. * Asia won the dual-continental event with 82 gold medals, against Africa's 49.


Medal table

The official medal tally of the Afro-Asian Games is given below. China bagged the largest number of gold medals, followed by the host India in second place. Athletes from India won the most number of total medals, with 80.


Legacy

The success of the Games was a point in favor of India being able to host a major international sporting event. Subsequently, this success was used in the bidding of the
2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
, which was ultimately awarded to
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
. In addition, the hospitality sector received a major boost due to the games, as hotels and guest houses received large booking orders from people who were coming to see the Games - media-persons, delegates, officials, visitors, sports-persons, etc. Tourism also benefited from the Games, and the State Tourism Department showed many foreign journalists key tourism spots in the city. Many famous places such as the
Charminar The Charminar () is a mosque and monument located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Constructed in 1591, the landmark is a symbol of Hyderabad and officially incorporated in the emblem of Telangana The Charminar's long history includes the existe ...
and the
Chowmahalla Palace Chowmahalla Palace or Chowmahallat (from ''chār mahallāt'', in Dakhini Urdu) is the palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad State in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Niz ...
saw record number of visitors. Also, famous local markets witnessed exceptional growth in sales and business, as demand peaked during the Games. Business of the world-renowned
pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
s of Hyderabad increased by about 50%, generating revenue of 50 million in one week. The rise in buyers was mainly driven by African visitors, who prefer pearls as jewellery. Also, sale of
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
jewellery increased substantially, being driven by a large number of Muslim visitors who looked for traditional and intricate designs. In addition,
bangle Bangles are traditionally rigid bracelets which are usually made of metal, wood, glass or plastic. These ornament are worn mostly by women in the Indian subcontinent, Southeastern Asia, Arabian Peninsula, and Africa. It is common to see a bride ...
s became the center of attraction for Chinese and African athletes.


References


External links

* {{EventsAt2003Afro-AsianGames
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
2003 in Indian sport Afro-Asian Games, 2003 2003 in Asian sport 2003 in African sport International sports competitions hosted by India Multi-sport events in India Events in Hyderabad Sports competitions in Hyderabad, India