The 16th Asian athletics championships opened at the Munhak Stadium here on Wednesday.

A gala opening ceremony was held at the stadium, a ground which hosted games of the 2002 World Cup.

Some 750 athletes from 37 countries and regions will compete in a total of 43 events, 22 for men and 21 for women from Thursday afternoon.

This is the first time for the port city to host international sports event.

Thursday's opening day schedule starts at two p.m. with the men's long jump qualifying round. A total of 20 events are scheduled, including five finals -- women's shot put, women's triple jump, men's discus throw, women's 10,000 meters and women's 1,500 meters.

Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang and Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar are the top stars at the championships. but double world champion Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain is missing from action, along with Olympic champion Xing Huina of China and an injured Olympic hammer champion Koji Murofushi of Japan.

The participation of Liu, the Olympics 110m Hurdles goldmedallist, and Shaheen, the double world steeplechase champion and record holder, should add stature and glamour to the biennial event.

In terms of prestige and involvement, the continental meet is next only to the Asian Games. In the early years, Japan used to dominate the championships. Then China took over, and has never looked back. The past few years there has been a slight slackening of the Chinese grip, especially in the women's events.

With the National Games looming this autumn, China hasn't entered all their best men and women for this year's Asian championships. China won 19 golds in Manila in 2003.

Source: Xinhua