The 2004 Asian weightlifting club championships raised its curtain in Tianjin municipality on December 8 with the participation of 12 countries and regions.

The championships, originally scheduled in Bombay, India, was shifted to Tianjin, China after doping scandals concerning Indian athletes in the Athens Olympic Games.

In Athens, Asian strongmen and strongwomen bagged nine of the 15 Olympic gold medals.

The championships, running from Dec. 9-15, features 236 entries, including 75 Chinese athletes, from Bangladesh, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Lebanon, South Korea, Singapore, Mongolia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Chinese Macao and hosts China.

Source: Xinhua