India to bid for World Athletics Indoor Championships 2028; AFI mulls Kalinga Stadium as venue

Bhubaneswar: A delegation from the World Athletics and Athletics Federation of India visited Kalinga Stadium in the Odisha capital here as India bids for the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2028. They toured the Indoor Athletic Centre and the facilities within the Kalinga Stadium Complex.

A high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Minister Sports & Youth Services Suryabanshi Suraj, along with Commissioner-cum-Secretary, DSYS, Sachin R. Jadhav, Vice President, World Athletics, Adille J Sumariwalla, Competition & Events Director, World Athletics, Marton Gyulai, Head of Bidding, World Athletics, Mark Hurst, Chairman, Technical Committee, AFI Ravinder Chaudhary, Bidding Expert, AFI. Vijay Kumar Verma.

"Odisha has the necessary and available facilities to host all levels of sporting events. We are backed and encouraged by strong fan support. After successfully conducting the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze last year, we will be hosting the silver meet this year. I hope we can collaborate with World Athletics and AFI and add this prestigious milestone to our sporting journey, " expressed the Sports Minister.

In line with the PM’s vision, India is bidding for the World Indoor Athletics Championships 2028. The infrastructure, hospitality and sporting culture in Bhubaneswar are at par with the global standards, said Dr. Sumeriwalla. “For us it will be the ideal venue to host the World Indoor Championships,” he added.  

Odisha is one of the leading hubs of sports in the country. It has extensive experience hosting sports events.  Today, some of India’s finest sprinters are from Odisha, said the Sports Secretary. “We are committed towards advancing Athletics and investing in block level stadium across 314 blocks. We are confident to host events on an even larger scale. We hope to collaborate with World Athletics and AFI to make this global event a historic success, " he added.