Athletics
India to submit bids to host 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships
AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla confirmed that India will submit bids to host the 2029 and 2031 World Athletics C'ships.
The Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 introduces several actionable measures to achieve its objectives. (Photo credit: SAI)
India is planning to place a strategic bid to host the World Athletics Championships in either 2029 or 2031. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is aiming to secure one of these two editions, according to Adille Sumariwalla, Vice President of World Athletics and former AFI President.
World Athletics, the international governing body of the sport, will announce the hosts for both the 2029 and 2031 championships in September 2026. Member countries have until October 1, 2025, to express their interest in bidding.
“We are preparing strategic bids for both the 2029 and 2031 editions. Since the hosting rights will be awarded together, we are open to securing either one,” said Sumariwalla.
He was speaking at the NC Classic international javelin event held in Bengaluru, where Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra emerged victorious.
The deadline to submit the initial bid applications is April 1, 2026. Final proposals must be submitted by August 5, 2026, after which the World Athletics Council will announce the selected host cities.
India’s initiative to bid for these global events is part of a larger vision to build momentum for a possible 2036 Olympic Games bid. Although India had earlier shown interest in hosting the 2029 edition, the move to also target 2031 is seen as a strategic adjustment.
This is especially relevant given that Tokyo and Beijing have already been confirmed as hosts for the 2025 and 2027 editions respectively.
Awarding India the 2029 championship could result in Asia hosting three consecutive editions. This makes the 2031 edition a more viable and realistic target for India.
India is also pursuing the opportunity to host the 2028 World Junior Championships. An expression of interest has already been submitted during the visit of World Athletics President Sebastian Coe to India in late 2024.
The host nations for the 2028 and 2030 junior championships will be announced in December 2025. Initial applications for these events must be submitted by September 22, 2025, with final bids due by November 7, 2025.
“We have already submitted our interest for the 2028 Junior World Championship,” confirmed Sumariwalla.
In addition to these bids, India is looking to host the World Athletics Relays in future editions. The next two editions have already been awarded to Botswana in 2026 and the Bahamas in 2028.
