New Delhi: The Indian cities of Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar were on Wednesday awarded hosting rights of next year's Asian Relays and the 2028 Asian Indoor Championships respectively by the continent's athletics governing body during its executive council meeting in Hong Kong.
The Asian Athletics Association's (AAA) council meeting was held ahead of the Asian U20 Championships from May 28 to 31.
"India has got the Asian Relays in 2027 to be held in Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar will host the Asian Indoor Championships in 2028. It's a very proud moment for the country," World Athletics Vice-President Adille Sumariwalla, who attended the AAA council meeting in Hong Kong, told PTI.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had last year submitted the bids to host both the events.
The Asian Relays in Chandigarh will be the third edition of the event.
The inaugural edition was held in Bangkok in 2024 while the second chapter will be held in Shaoxing, China from June 20-21 this year.
The state-of-the-art indoor facility at the Kalinga Stadium complex in Bhubaneswar will be the venue for the 2028 Asian Indoor Championships, likely in February.
The same venue will also host the 2028 World Indoor Championships from March 3-5. The inaugural national indoor championships was held in March at the same facility.
India getting the hosting rights of two Asian events is in line with the country's efforts to stage continental and global events in the coming years.
India has also formally expressed its interest to host the 2028 World U20 Championships as well as either of the 2029 or 2031 editions of the senior World Athletics Championships.
