INDIA will host the 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships, with the event set to take place in Odisha, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe announced on Thursday.
"The World Athletics Council this morning awarded the next two editions of the event, the world indoor championships, to Odisha in India in 2028 and Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2030," Coe said ahead of the world indoors in Torun, Poland.
"The future of the world indoor athletics championships is looking bright and assured."
The selection of Odisha, formerly known as Orissa, marks the first time India has hosted a major World Athletics event.
The city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha is home to the Kalinga Stadium Complex, which has an indoor stadium.
Amdavad, also known as Ahmedabad, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, has been confirmed as the host city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, which will include a full track and field programme.
The move is seen as a step towards a bid to host the 2036 Olympics, following the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
When Amdavad was confirmed for the Commonwealth Games, Coe said at the time that India was "already expressing interest in hosting major global athletics events, and the long-term aspiration to host a World Athletics Championships – and one day the Olympic Games".
Coe said it was a "powerful sign of a nation thinking boldly about its sporting future".
(With inputs from agencies)
