After the preliminary decision of hosting the Games, the venue was shuttled between New Delhi and Kuwait City.

[5] The idea to hold an inter-continental sporting event between Asia and Africa was initiated in April 1983, with New Delhi as the proposed venue.

[6] The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) decided to set up a central head of the development for the Games.

[11] A large development Planning Association meant a great amount of inter-connectivity and communication requirements.

A large "web" of networking facilities was built to connect all the hotels, media centres, stadia and Transportation Committees.

Since the African continent is not very well-connected, an Accreditation Committee was dispatched to Abuja - in Nigeria - the host city of the 2003 All-Africa Games.

[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.

Contrary to what the Olympics and related multi-sport events provide, no actual Games Village was available for the athletes to stay.

To improve security speed, six interpreters of Russian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, French and Arabic were present at the airport.

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 the Charminar[1] - Hyderabad's most famous landmark - surrounded by a string of pearls.

[20] Several Indian corporates such as Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), GVK Group and State Bank of Hyderabad provided sponsorships worth INR 10 million each towards the staging of several events of the inaugural Games.

The qualification of the African nations was based on their performance in the 2003 All-Africa Games held in Abuja, Nigeria.

[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.

[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.

The Opening ceremony of the Games showcased the cultural heritage of both the attending continents - Asia and Africa.

[41] The ceremony, which was hosted by Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, was spread over a time period of two hours and forty minutes.

[42] Many celebrities, like actor Sanjay Dutt and tennis player Leander Paes graced the occasion.

[41] Chief Guest Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani declared the Games open.

There were other international showcases - the spiritual chanting by the Chinese monks, and the peace prayers by thousands of schoolchildren.

President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam officially closed the Games, in front of a near capacity crowd.

[43] The "camaraderie ceremony" was followed by speeches of various important people, among them being IOA President Suresh Kalmadi, IOA and OCA Secretary-General Randhir Singh, ANOCA President Alfa Ibrahim Diallo, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vikram Verma.

[43] As night fell, hundreds of Army recruits brought lighted torches, and did the "mashal dance".

Sheroo, the mascot, was bid farewell by noted Indian singer Hariharan and many costumed children.

[43] The host country was portrayed by a number of traditional folk dances, after which the Games officially ended.

[5] China bagged the largest number of gold medals, followed by the host India in second place.

[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.

Also, famous local markets witnessed exceptional growth in sales and business, as demand peaked during the Games.

[52] Also, sale of gold jewellery increased substantially, being driven by a large number of Muslim visitors who looked for traditional and intricate designs.