NINGBO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 Asian Weightlifting Championships, which will double as a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, will be held from April 17 to 29 in China's eastern coastal city of Ningbo.

The Championships are the most prestigious event on Asia's weightlifting calendar. It is also a gold-tier Olympic qualifying event, providing athletes with bonus points. 467 participants from 29 countries and regions, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Iran and the DPRK have registered at the competition.

"Last year's World Championships marked the first major competition since a revamp by the International Weightlifting Federation, with 20 gold medals for different weights," noted Bi Donghai, from the weightlifting division of China's General Administration of Sport. "Asian athletes won 16 out of 20 gold medals. In fact, our major rivals at the Tokyo Olympics are likely to be these Asian contestants."

In order to help promote the city of Ningbo, event organizers have integrated features of the city into the competition's logo, mascot and tickets.