India is vying to host two major global athletics events in 2028, as the national federation has submitted bids to organize the World Indoor Championships in Bhubaneswar and the World U20 Championships in Ahmedabad.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) initially put forth a bid to host the 2028 World U20 Championships in Ahmedabad during a visit by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe in late 2024.
Recently, the AFI has also entered the bidding process for the 2028 World Indoor Championships to be held in Bhubaneswar. A delegation from World Athletics visited the state-of-the-art indoor facility at the Kalinga Stadium Complex in Bhubaneswar to assess the venue.
The inspection visit was attended by World Athletics Vice-President and former AFI chief Adille Sumariwalla, along with officials from the Odisha government. The hosting rights for the 2028 and 2030 editions of the Junior World Championships, as well as the World Indoor Championships, are expected to be announced in March.
Apart from India, New Zealand has also shown interest in hosting the 2028 World Indoor Championships. Sumariwalla expressed confidence in India’s bid, despite facing strong competition from other countries.
Additionally, the AFI has submitted a bid to host the 2028 Asian Indoor Championships in Bhubaneswar. The indoor facility at the Kalinga Stadium Complex is gearing up to host India’s first National Indoor Championships in March.
Ahmedabad, which is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, is also aiming to host the 2031 World (Senior) Athletics Championships and the 2036 Olympics.
