Big gift to India: World Athletics Indoor Championships to be held in Odisha, hosting global track event for the first time

By Samira Vishwas On Mar 21, 2026

Big news has come from the sports world for India. The World Athletics Council has handed over the hosting of the World Athletics Indoor Championship to Odisha in the year 2028. This will be the first time that India will host a global indoor track and field championship.

This decision was taken in the 240th meeting of the World Athletics Council held in Torun, Poland. During this time, the 2030 championship was given to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, while the 2028 World Race Walking Team Championship was given to Hefei, China.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said on the occasion that hosting Odisha and Astana is part of the strategy to take the sport to new and emerging markets. He appreciated the growing influence of athletics in India and the strong sports infrastructure of Odisha.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi called it a proud moment for the entire country. He said that in the last decade, the state has invested extensively in the development of sports and now it has become a major center for international sports events. He expressed confidence that this event will further strengthen the sports culture in India and inspire young players.

This championship will be held from 3 to 5 March 2028. Earlier, Odisha has successfully organized big events like Asian Athletics Championship and World Athletics Continental Tour in 2017.

At the same time, athletics will get expansion into new markets through the championship to be held in Astana in 2030. Apart from this, Hefei of China will host the World Race Walking Team Championship in 2028.

There is an atmosphere of excitement in the sports world due to this big responsibility given to India and it is being considered an important step in the sports history of the country.

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