Bhuwaneshwar, March 21: India has been awarded the hosting rights for the World Indoor Athletics Championship 2028. The event will take place in Bhuwaneshwar, Odisha, marking India’s first time hosting this prestigious championship. The decision was made during a meeting of the World Athletics Council held in Torun, Poland.
Earlier in January, a team from World Athletics inspected the indoor stadium at the Kalinga Stadium complex in Bhuwaneshwar. With this announcement, India becomes the fourth Asian country to host the championship, following Japan, Qatar, and China.
The World Indoor Athletics Championship, which began in Paris in 1985, is held every two years. The 2028 edition will be the 22nd iteration of the event. The upcoming championship in 2026 will take place in Poland, although no Indian athletes are expected to participate. To date, India has not won any medals at the World Indoor Athletics Championship, with the United States leading the medal tally with 270 medals.
In addition, India is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030, with Ahmedabad being declared the host city following a meeting of the Commonwealth Sports Executive Board in Glasgow on November 26, 2025.