India has secured the hosting rights for two major continental athletics events, with Chandigarh set to host the 2027 Asian Relays and Bhubaneswar chosen as the venue for the 2028 Asian Indoor Championships.
The announcement was made during the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) executive council meeting held in Hong Kong ahead of the Asian U20 Championships. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had submitted bids for both events last year.
World Athletics Vice-President Adille Sumariwalla described the development as a proud moment for the country, highlighting India’s growing stature in international athletics hosting.
The 2027 Asian Relays in Chandigarh will mark only the third edition of the continental competition, featuring relay events across men’s, women’s and mixed categories. More than 200 athletes from across Asia are expected to participate in the event.
Meanwhile, the 2028 Asian Indoor Championships will be held at the state-of-the-art indoor athletics facility at the Kalinga Stadium complex in Bhubaneswar. The venue is also scheduled to host the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships, further reinforcing Odisha’s emergence as a major sporting hub.
The twin hosting rights are seen as a significant boost to India’s ambitions of staging more global sporting events in the coming years, including future World Athletics competitions.
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