World Athletics team visits Kalinga Stadium in build-up to 2028 world indoor championships bid

With India throwing its hat in the ring to bid for the 2028 World Indoor athletics championships, a team of World Athletics (WA), including head of bidding Mark Hurst and director of competitions and events Marton Gyulai, inspected the infrastructure at the Kalinga Stadium here on Wednesday.

Accompanied by WA vice-president Adille Sumariwalla, the two WA representatives met Odisha Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj and other top bureaucrats of the state and inspected the indoor venue on the Kalinga Stadium campus and took stock of other facilities such as hotels and airport.

“They were here to evaluate different parameters. The response from the state Government is very good,” Sumariwalla, a former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president and current spokesperson, told The Hindu.

According to sources, Kazakhstan could be one of the strong bidders for the 2028 event along with a few other countries.

The indoor athletics track at the Kalinga Stadium will hold its first competitive event, the inaugural National Indoor Championships, on March 24 and 25.