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Asian Weightlifting Championships open in Tongling

By Ji Fan (China Daily Anhui Bureau)
Updated: 2011-04-14 19:36

 

The opening ceremony of the 23rd Senior Women's and 42nd Senior Men's Asian Weightlifting Championships. [By Ji Fan / China Daily Anhui Bureau]

The 23rd Senior Women and 42nd Senior Men's Asian Weightlifting Championships opened in Tongling, Anhui Province on April 13, drawing more than 300 athletes from more than 30 countries and regions.

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Yao Yuzhou, Party secretary of Tongling City, Anhui Provincial Sports Bureau director Feng Chao, president Mohamed Yusef Al-Mana of AWF (Asian Weightlifting Federation), and president Ma Wenguang of the Chinese Weightlifting Association attended the opening ceremony.

With more than 3,000 years of history, Tongling is a city located on the southern bank of Yangtze River and crowned as the ancient copper capital of China, and also serves as a base for the modern copper industry. It is closely linked with weightlifting as a sport talent base for Anhui Province and China. Tang Fei, an athlete from Tongling, won the first for 69kg in 39th men's Asian weightlifting championship in Japan.

President Mohamed Yusef Al-Mana said in a speech: "The Asian Weightlifting Championships will have full media coverage with re-transmissions worldwide, and is deserved for Asia because of being the best in the weightlifting sport today. Spectators will be able to catch the sport's essence in the background of colorful and vibrant images of Tongling."

This event is co-hosted by the Asian Weightlifting Federation, Sports Administration Center of Weightlifting Wresting and Judo, General Administration of State Sport and China Weightlifting Association, and undertaken by the Anhui Provincial Sports Bureau and Tongling Municipal People's Government.

"Hosting this championship, Tongling will enhance its exchange of economy, culture and sports with Asian countries and regions", said Ma Wenguang in his speech.