DOHA (AFP) -- China look set to sweep the medals table in weightlifting at the 15th Asiad starting today, although there promises to be keen competition from Iranian and lifters from Central Asian countries.

One country not taking part, however, is India, whose officials cannot afford to pay a 50,000-dollar fine for positive doping tests on four lifters before and during the Commonwealth Games in Australia earlier this year.

There is also a cloud hanging over sport heavyweights Iran, which had nine weightlifters banned for two years for testing positive on the eve of the world championships.

Asiad organizers can only pray that the specter of drugs does not raise its ugly head in Qatar and further besmirch a sport that has been rocked by countless doping controversies.

The ban on the Iranians did not affect the country's best known lifter, the 105+kg double Olympic champion and world record holder Hossein Rezazadeh.

He was one of only two athletes on the 11-strong squad to test negative for excess levels of testosterone.

Rezazadeh, who holds world records in all three disciplines, was the only Iranian weightlifter to travel to the world championships in the Dominican Republic in October.

He successfully defended his world crown there but refused to go for records to avoid burnout before Doha, where his main rival is likely to be China's Dong Feng, who won overall bronze.

When it comes to medal hauls in Qatar, however, it looks to be only one nation with the clout to surpass the rest during the December 2-6 competition: China.

The communist nation dominates women's weightlifting and has also recently shone in the lower weight categories in the men's competition.

In the men's 56kg division, China's junior world record holder Li Zheng will be looking to follow up on his three world gold medals garnered in October.

Similarly, opponents will find it hard to out-lift double world champion Qiu Le in the 62kg class, while 2004 Olympic gold medalist (62kg) Shi Zhiyong will be in the hunt for another glittering haul in the 69kg category.

In the women's competition, recent results suggest China will enjoy most of the success after its five gold medals from the seven weight categories at the recent world championships.

"I expect that the women weightlifters will win three gold medals because they are among the best and have won a lot of medals before," said head coach Chen Yijie. "I think that the Asian Games is one step in our preparations for the Beijing Olympics in 2008."

In the 48kg event, Yang Lian stormed away with gold medals and world records from all three categories in her debut appearance, setting a high standard ahead of Doha.

Yang's compatriot Qiu Hongxia also broke world marks at the tournament in the 53kg clean and jerk and overall total, but will face stiff competition from Thailand's Junpim Kantatean and Indonesia's double Olympic silver medalist Raema Lisa Rumbewas.

There was further gold medal success at Santo Domingo in the 58kg class with Qiu Hongmei lifting the winning total, while Quyang Xiaofang took the honors in the 63kg event.

However, Quayang will be under pressure in Doha as Thailand's Olympic champion Pawina Thongsuk returns to action after missing the worlds.

Elsewhere, in the women's heavyweight categories, Cao Lei of China will be a favorite after comfortably outperforming Korea's Kim Soon-Hee and Indonesia's Sinta Darmariani in the 75kg class at the worlds.

The weightlifting competition is split into two disciplines, the snatch and the clean and jerk.