President Sebastian Coe confirmed that World Athletics will await interest from India for the 2029 World Championships but indicated that there will be tough competition from other countries to get the hosting right of the showpiece.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) will formally express its interest in hosting the 2029 World Championships when the process is launched in the next few months. This is in line with the country’s plan to stage a series of high-profile events to mount a serious bid for the 2036 Olympics.
“The 2029 World Championships, look, we will await with interest (India’s expected bid). I have to tell you, we’ve got a lot of interest in those Championships already, and the process will open shortly,” Coe replied to a PTI question during a virtual conference with the global media.
The AFI first revealed its intention to bid for the 2029 World Championships in December last year.
The bidding process is expected to start in January-February 2025 along with the publication of a timeline. World Athletics is expected to announce the host city in 2026.
Distance running powerhouse Kenya has also declared its interest in hosting the 2029 World Championships while Britain, which staged the showpiece in 2017 when the legendary Usain Bolt ran his last international race in London, has also done the same, though not formally.
The bidding process for the 2027 World Championships to be held in Beijing, China, began in January 2023 and the announcement of the host city was made in March 2024. The 2025 World Championships will be held in Tokyo.
Earlier, the AFI officially submitted its expression of interest to host the World U20 Championships in 2028 when Coe made a two-day visit to India last month.
A few days back, the AFI announced that India will host its maiden World Athletics Continental Tour event — a bronze-level meet — on August 10 in Bhubaneswar, and Coe said he is delighted with the development.
Continental Tour is an annual series of track and field competitions held under the aegis of World Athletics and it forms the second tier of international one-day meetings after the prestigious Diamond League.
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