Bhubaneswar: India has submitted a dual bid to host two prestigious World Athletics events in 2028, signalling a significant step forward in the country’s international sporting ambitions. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has proposed Bhubaneswar as the host city for the World Athletics Indoor Championships and Ahmedabad for the World Athletics U20 Championships.
As part of the evaluation process, a World Athletics delegation recently inspected key facilities in both cities. The delegation included World Athletics Vice-President and former AFI president Adille Sumariwalla, who assessed the state-of-the-art indoor athletics infrastructure at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Ahmedabad’s stadium facilities were also reviewed to determine their readiness to host a global youth championship.
Officials involved in the process said the inspections were a crucial step ahead of the final decision, with host announcements expected in March 2026. AFI has highlighted India’s improving sports infrastructure and growing experience in hosting international events as strengths of the bid.
Bhubaneswar is already scheduled to host the 2028 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and will organise India’s first-ever National Indoor Athletics Championships in March 2026. These events are expected to serve as test competitions to demonstrate compliance with international standards and operational preparedness.
While India faces competition from other bidding nations, including New Zealand, AFI remains optimistic that the country’s modern facilities, organisational capacity, and expanding athletics ecosystem will strengthen its case. If successful, the bids would place India firmly on the global athletics calendar and mark a major milestone in its efforts to emerge as a regular host of world-class sporting events.
-OdishaAge
