India wins big! Bhubaneswar to host 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships

The hosting rights were awarded during the 240th World Athletics Council Meeting held in Toruń, ahead of the upcoming World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 2026.

Earlier this year, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had submitted its bid to host the event.

Following the bid, a two-member delegation from World Athletics inspected the indoor facilities at the Kalinga Stadium in January before clearing India to host the championships for the first time, according to the Olympics website.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said in a statement, “In awarding the next two editions of this storied championships to Odisha and Astana, I am delighted that the World Indoors continues to go from strength to strength, captivating audiences around the world, and that our next two hosts reflect our strategy of taking our events to emerging markets.”

The 2028 edition, scheduled from March 3 to 5, will mark the first time India hosts a global track and field championships.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said, “We extend our sincere gratitude to World Athletics and the Athletics Federation of India for placing trust in Odisha to host one of the most prestigious championships in global athletics.”

Organised by World Athletics, the World Indoor Athletics Championships is a biennial competition that was first held in 1985 in Paris.

With this, India will become only the fourth Asian nation to host the event. The United States remains the most successful nation in the competition’s history, having won 270 medals, including 113 gold.