Bhubaneswar to host 2028 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships

After being awarded the hosting rights for 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships earlier this year, Odisha capital Bhubaneswar is now set to host Asian Indoor Athletics Championships as well.The event will be held in Jan 2028 at Indoor Athletics Centre of Kalinga Stadium, and it will be the fourth international athletics meet that the city hosts in a span of four years. It was also announced during the meeting that Chandigarh will host the 2027 Asian Relay Championships.“It will be a big boost to athletics in particular and sports in general,” Sagoo said. “International events will enable the athletics fraternity to witness top athletes in action.”Speaking on the development, Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said hosting Asian Indoor Championships would give a fillip to the sports culture in the state and the country.“The Asian Indoor Championships will be good preparation for the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships,” the Odisha CM said in the release.As far as major athletics events are concerned, Bhubaneswar has been regularly hosting them, beginning with World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze-level meet last year. This year, it will stage a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver-level meet.The city has also hosted national-level events regularly, starting with Federation Cup in 2024, where Neeraj Chopra won the title with a throw of 82.27m. Later that year, it hosted National Junior Athletics Championships, followed by its 2025 edition.This year has also been a busy one, with the city hosting the maiden National Indoor Athletics Championships as well as Indoor Open Combined Events & Pole Vault Meet. Next month, the country’s top athletes will also compete in Bhubaneswar at National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships which will also act as a qualifying event for the upcoming Asian Games.Meanwhile, Chandigarh will host the 2027 Asian Relay Championships in May at Sector 7 Sports Complex. The meet will feature six events — 4x100m and 4x400m men’s, women’s and mixed relays.