The 3rd AASF Asian Age Group Championship 2003, the first of its kind ever hosted by Macao, was held from 24-30 August 2003 in the Macao Olympic Natatorium. The championship included four sporting events: swimming, diving, feature swimming and water polo. Authorized by the Asian Swimming Association, The Macao Sport Development Board and Macao Swimming Association organized this international sports event with the Organizing Committee for the 4th East Asian Games as co-organizer. It was the first large-scale international swimming event organized by Macao and featured the new Macao Olympic Natatorium. The nature and scope of the event proved Macao’s ability to provide excellent facilities, the participation of highly competitive local athletes, and quality planning and organization of such events.
In preparation for this sporting event, The Macao Sport Development Board, Macao’s Organizing Committee for the 4th East Asian Games and the Macao, China Swimming Association worked closely together to organize a series of referee training programs. In the past, due to the lack of technical personnel, most referees at swimming events were swimming enthusiasts who formed the principal core of the Macao Swimming Federation because of their active involvement in its activities. With the popularization of swimming and a marked increase in the level of competitive swimming as a sport in Macao, 
the technical expertise required by referees has risen. For example, those officiating at the 3rd Asian Swimming Championship had to be bilingual and with a high school diploma as minimum requirements. Thanks to various training programs conducted within and outside Macao, referees were provided with the knowledge and skills needed when officiating at the 2003 Asian Swimming Championship for Different Age Groups.
In regard to the four sporting events for this swimming championship, this is the current situation in Macao: swimming is well developed and popular, feature swimming has developed rapidly in a fairly short period of time, and diving and water polo have only recently been implemented in Macao. In diving, women athletes can now perform the basic required dives. Water Polo, only initiated since the completion of the Macao Olympic Natatorium, is now in a period of development. Despite a good start, our water polo athletes have faced a number of obstacles.
In the initial stage of developing a water polo team, for example, training facilities were not available so the team held their practice sessions at Lin Fong Swimming Pool (normally reserved only for the handicapped). The coach himself made a cage for training since none was available. Now that the Olympic Natatorium is available for training, however, the team is performing well and improving steadily.
Chan Hio Hei, selected from the advanced swimming course to join the polo team, is now a key player on the team. During a competitive match, an opponent scratched Chan Hio Hei’s forehead so badly that she couldn’t help but cry because of the pain. Her coach was willing to put in a substitute, but Chan Hio Hei continued to play until the end of the match. She is just one example of how the Macao polo team is growing stronger and more technically mature now that they can train in good facilities and are able to compete regularly.
The 3rd AASF Asian Age Group Championship 2003 involved the participation of over 1500 athletes and functionaries from 18 Asian countries/regions, with close to 600 people working to prepare for and host the event. Macao, as the organizing city, sent 104 athletes to participate in the competition, the largest swimming delegation in the history of Macao. It is obvious that this international swimming event is of great significance since is proves not only that Macao is well-prepared to organize and host such events, but that a large number of local Macao athletes are willing and able to participate in such high-level competitions.
