One of eight Bulgarian weightlifters recruited by the Qatar Olympic Committee, Asaad became a Qatari citizen to represent the country in the 2000 Olympics, his old name, Angel Popov, being left behind in the process. Qatar has been known for recruiting sportspeople from other countries, the most notable example being world-class runner Saif Saaeed Shaheen.[1][2]
After moving to Asia, Asaad has become Asian champion twice as well as winning the 2002 Asian Games. He is also the 2003 world champion.[3] Later he competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but finished without a result.