 | |
| Host city |  Hyderabad-Secunderabad,India |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Two Continents, One Spirit" Theme song:Come Together To Celebrate Afro-Asian Games |
| Nations | 96 |
| Athletes | 2,040[1] |
| Sport | 8 |
| Events | 131 (75 men's events, 55 women's events, 1 combined event) |
| Opening | 24 October 2003 |
| Closing | 1 November 2003 |
| Opened by | L. K. Advani(Deputy Prime Minister of India) |
| Closed by | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam(President of India) |
| Athlete's Oath | Anjali Bhagwat |
| Main venue | Gachibowli Athletic Stadium |
| Website | afroasiangames.org |
The2003 Afro-Asian Games, officially known as theFirst Afro-Asian Games orI Afro-Asian Games and unofficially known as theInaugural Afro-Asian Games, was a major internationalmulti-sportevent held inHyderabad, India,[2] from 24 October (excludingfootball andhockey, which began on 22 October and 23 October respectively) to 1 November 2003.[3]
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 the2010 Commonwealth Games by athletes' volume. The scale of these Games exceeds even the twoAsian Games held inDelhi in1951 (both by athletes' volume and by number of participating nations) and1982 (by number of participating nations). More than 2000 athletes from 96 countries competed in the Games. A total of 131sporting events in eight disciplines were conducted. Also, 120 countries sent 1,565 official representatives to these Games.
The firstAfro-Asian Games 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 betweenNew Delhi andKuwait City. At the last moment, New Delhi was out favoured byHyderabad, which had hosted theNational Games of India in 2002.[4]
These Games, however, had lesser scope than theAsian Games orCommonwealth Games, 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.[5]
The idea to hold an inter-continental sporting event between Asia and Africa was initiated in April 1983, withNew Delhi as the proposed venue. However, for unknown circumstances, the venue was shifted toKuwait and the Games were proposed to be held in 1985.[1] 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.[1] 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 and thenNew Delhi were proposed as venues.[1] However, they were postponed till November 2001.[6] Slow preparations led to indefinite postponement again.[1] After the occurrence of9/11, Delhi pulled out.[1] This led to the circulation of rumours that the games were "jinxed".[7] Later, the IOA announced that theOlympic Council of Asia (OCA) and theAssociation of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) had sanctioned 2003 as the new date for the Games.[8] Also, the venue was changed toHyderabad after Delhi pulled out. Most critics point to the successful hosting of the 32ndNational Games of India, which were held at Hyderabad, as the main reason for Hyderabad being chosen.[3]
The Indian Government spent₹ 1.03 billion (US$22.92 million),[6] for the Afro-Asian Games, making these Games one of the most expensive sporting events held inHyderabad. All preparations were completed within 60 days before the events began.[6]
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 theGreenlands Guest House[6] 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.[9] The various functions were divided within these committees. The special officer-in-charge of the Games was Sabyasachi Ghosh,[10] while the Secretary-General of the Games was Ali Moradi.[11]
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.[6] This would help in easing pressure on any one committee. Since the African continent is not very well-connected, an Accreditation Committee was dispatched toAbuja - inNigeria - the host city of the2003 All-Africa Games.[6] The Accreditation committee brought all sports-persons and officials from Africa toHyderabad.
The software companyCMC Limited had developed a Games and Event Management System (GEMS),[12] which helped the organizers to efficiently manage events across the sports venues. It worked closely withDoordarshan, the official television broadcasters of the Games, to provide results of sporting competitions and live Games information.[12] Additionally, cutting-edge technology like the implementation of geo-referenced maps andGeographic Information System (GIS) was implemented,[13] so as to ensure a smooth and rapid flow of work.
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 32ndNational Games of India.[14] 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.[14]
Accommodation of the athletes and foreign officials posed a serious problem to the organisers. Contrary to what theOlympics and relatedmulti-sport events provide, no actual Games Village was available for the athletes to stay.[15] 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 32ndNational Games of India 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.[16] The Government ofAndhra Pradesh 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.[16]
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.[17] 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.[17]
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 ofRussian,Japanese,Mandarin Chinese,Korean,French andArabic were present at the airport. In addition, 24 specially trained immigration personnel were stationed round the clock in the airport.[17]
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 the2010 Commonwealth Games atDelhi, India. Also, officials fromBeijing, China - the venue of2008 Summer Olympics - andDoha,Qatar - the host of2006 Asian Games - would attend the Afro-Asian Games, and keenly observe the way the Games functioned.[6]
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, had hinted that"some nations might withdraw from the Games, rather than get embroiled in international conflicts".[18]
The logo of the Afro-Asian Games was theCharminar[1] - 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 MinisterChandrababu Naidu on 3 September 2003.[19]
The Mascot for these Games wasSheroo,[1] also speltSheru, a cartoon lion. Subsequently, a variation of the name 'Sheroo', called 'Shera', was also given for the mascot of the2010 Commonwealth Games.[20]
Several Indian corporates such asIndian Oil Corporation (IOC), GVK Group andState Bank of Hyderabad provided sponsorships worth INR 10 million each towards the staging of several events of the inaugural Games. Several other corporates such asOil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC),Videocon andBharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) also contributed to the Games.[21] Also,Florida-basedIMG Academy assisted in the conduct of the Games.[3]
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.[1]
The events of the Games were held across eight stadiums, spread throughout the suburb of Gachibowli. The venues were:[1]
| Gachibowli | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gachibowli Athletic Stadium Capacity: 30,000 Events: Opening and closing ceremonies,Athletics,Boxing,Football | Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium Capacity: 2,000 Events:Weightlifting | Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium Capacity: 30,000[23] Events:Football | Gachibowli Hockey Stadium Capacity: 8,000 Events:Hockey |
 |  |  | |
 | |||
| Gachibowli | |||
| Central University Shooting Range Capacity: 600[24] Events:Shooting | Aquatics Complex Capacity: 2,000 Events:Swimming | SAAP Tennis Complex Capacity: 4,000 Events:Tennis | G. M. C. Balayogi SATS Indoor Stadium Capacity: 4,000 Events:Boxing |
 | |||
The program of the Afro-Asian Games was almost the same as that of theAsian Games, the only difference being in the number of sports. These Games witnessed eight disciplines in eight sports.Synchronised swimming anddiving were not contested.
The list of sports is given below(Number in parentheses indicates number of events).
Athletics (41)
Boxing (11)
Football (1)
Field hockey (2)
Shooting (16)
Swimming (38)
Tennis (7)
Weightlifting (15)The 2003 Afro-Asian Games Calendar is given below.[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]
| ● | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | ● | Event finals | ● | Closing ceremony |
| October | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | November 1 |  Gold medal(s) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonies | ● | ● | - | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Athletics | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | 42 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | 11 | ||||||||||||||||
| Football | ● | ● ● | ● | ● ● | ● | ● ● | ● ● | ● | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Hockey | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● | ● | ● | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Shooting* | ● ● | ● ● | ● ● | ● ● ● | ● ● | ● | ● ● ● | ● ● | ● ● ● | 14 | |||||||||||||
| Swimming | ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
| Tennis | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● | ● | ● ● | ● ● ● | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Weightlifting | ● ● | ● ● | ● ● | ● ● | ● ● | ● ● | ● ● ● | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| Total Gold medals | 8 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 28 | 30 | 22 | 130 | |||||||||||||||
| Cumulative total | 8 | 20 | 33 | 50 | 78 | 108 | 130 | 130 | |||||||||||||||
| October | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | November 1 | Gold medal(s) | |||||||||||
* The shooting events include50 birds and75 birds events.
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 the2003 All-Africa Games held inAbuja,Nigeria.[33] The qualification for the Asian nations was based on their performance in the2002 Asian Games held inBusan,South Korea.[33]
The official television host broadcaster of the Afro-Asian Games wasDD Sports,[34] 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 the2004 Olympic Games live and would later telecast the2010 Commonwealth Games.[35] However, the schedule of the Games clashed with an ongoing Triangular Cricket Tournament, and the events were aired on DD Metro.[36] Doordarshan deployed 350 personnel, 10 outdoor broadcasting vans and 86 cameras for obtaining coverage of the Games.[35] Additionally, five cameras were used for the Sports news and the sidelights.[35]
Commentators we have taken are the best in the country. We have not spared any expenditure in this regard.
— K S Sharma, CEO,Prasar Bharati[35]
India's premier radio broadcaster, theAll India Radio (A.I.R), was the official radio partner of the Games. The AIR hired 150[35] programmers and engineers for the coverage of the Games.
The opening and closing ceremonies were described as "eye-filling" and "opulent" by several media centers.[37] The ceremonies costINR 150 million (US$3.34 million) to execute.[38] 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.[38] The settings utilised for the ceremonies were designed by well-knownart director andfilm production designerNitin Chandrakant Desai.[39]
The Opening ceremony of the Games were held in theG. M. C. Balayogi Stadium - the main stadium of the events - at 5:30 pmIST.[40] 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.[41] The ceremony, which was hosted byBollywood actorPriyanka Chopra, was spread over a time period of two hours and forty minutes.[42] Many celebrities, like actorSanjay Dutt and tennis playerLeander Paes graced the occasion.[41] Also, six-timepole vault winnerSergey Bubka,[41] 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.[41]
Chief Guest Deputy Prime MinisterL. K. Advani declared the Games open. ShooterAnjali Bhagwat took theAthlete's Oath.[41] This was followed by a laser show, fireworks and a space cannon show. The highlight of the Opening ceremony was theUmojas[41] - a group of professional tribal dancers from Africa. There were other international showcases - the spiritual chanting by theChinese monks, and the peace prayers by thousands of schoolchildren. SingerShankar Mahadevan sang the theme song. Bollywood divasShilpa Shetty,Simran andUrmila Matondkar did dance performances.
Unlike theOlympic Games, 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.[7]
The closing ceremony of the Games was marked by lights, colour and technology.
The closing ceremony was hosted byYukta Mookhey. PresidentA. P. J. Abdul Kalam officially closed the Games, in front of a near capacity crowd.[43] 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."[44] 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.[43] A fly-past of theIndian Army airplanes, trailing smoke in the colours of theIndian flag took place as the dignitaries took their seats.
The expected "high-point" of the closing ceremony was the show ofcamaraderie between the sportspersons of the two continents. However, few athletes trooped into the Stadium for that purpose.[43] The "camaraderie ceremony" was followed by speeches of various important people, among them being IOA PresidentSuresh Kalmadi, IOA and OCA Secretary-GeneralRandhir Singh, ANOCA PresidentAlfa Ibrahim Diallo,Andhra Pradesh Chief MinisterChandrababu Naidu and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and SportsVikram Verma. The speeches were shortly followed by a memento presentation.[43]
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 singerHariharan and many costumed children. TheUmojas performed yet again at the closing ceremony. TheChinese State circus was considered "breath-taking".Lebanese singerDiana Haddad,Egyptian singerHisham Abbas and Indian singerRemo Fernandes performed at the closing ceremony as well.[43]
The host country was portrayed by a number of traditional folk dances, after which the Games officially ended.
The official medal tally of the Afro-Asian Games is given below.[5] 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.
* Host nation (India)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | 25 | 11 | 5 | 41 |
| 2 | India* | 19 | 32 | 29 | 80 |
| 3 |  Japan | 15 | 6 | 2 | 23 |
| 4 |  Nigeria | 10 | 12 | 13 | 35 |
| 5 |  South Africa | 10 | 11 | 15 | 36 |
| 6 |  South Korea | 7 | 6 | 11 | 24 |
| 7 |  Algeria | 7 | 6 | 9 | 22 |
| – | Rest of Africa | 7 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| 8 |  Uzbekistan | 7 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 9 |  Kazakhstan | 5 | 8 | 6 | 19 |
| 10 |  Ethiopia | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
| Totals (10 entries) | 117 | 104 | 96 | 317 | |
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 the2010 Commonwealth Games, which was ultimately awarded toDelhi.[34][50]
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.[51] Many famous places such as theCharminar and theChowmahalla Palace 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-renownedpearls 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.[52] Also, sale ofgold jewellery increased substantially, being driven by a large number of Muslim visitors who looked for traditional and intricate designs.[52] In addition,bangles became the center of attraction for Chinese and African athletes.[52]
Media related to2003 Afro-Asian Games at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by - | Afro-Asian Games Host City I Afro-Asian Games (2003) | Succeeded by |
