China, India and Kazakhstan awarded World Athletics hosting rights
Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 21.03.26. | 13:21
Host city decisions reflect World Athletics’ strategy to take major events to emerging markets and build on multi-year athletics journey through China
The World Athletics Council has selected Odisha in India and Astana in Kazakhstan to host the World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2028 and 2030, respectively.
The events were awarded during the 240th World Athletics Council Meeting held in Toruń, Poland, ahead of the ongoing World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news
The awarding of the 2028 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships to Hefei in China was also among the decisions made during the two-day meeting on Wednesday, 18 and Thursday, 19 March.
Welcoming the Council to the city of Toruń on the eve of the World Indoor Championships, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said:
“In awarding the next two editions of this storied championships to Odisha and Astana, I am delighted that the World Indoors continues to go from strength to strength, captivating audiences around the world, and that our next two hosts reflect our strategy of taking our events to emerging markets.
I would also like to congratulate Hefei on the awarding of the World Race Walking Team Championships in 2028. They will be the latest in a strong lineup of Chinese cities to host a World Athletics Series event from 2025 to 2028.”
The 2028 World Indoor Championships will see India host a global track and field championships for the first time, from 3-5 March 2028. Odisha, the eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal, held the Asian Championships in 2017, while the state has also hosted a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting.
The awarding of the 2030 edition to Kazakhstan’s capital city, Astana, on 15-17 March 2030 will also see the sport reach new markets. The city hosted the Asian Indoor Championships in 2023 as well as World Indoor Tour Gold meetings in 2024 and 2025.
Holding the 2028 World Race Walking Team Championships in Hefei, on 9 April 2028, continues a now four-year athletics journey through China, following World Athletics Series events in Nanjing (2025), Guangzhou (2025), Yangzhou (2027) and Beijing (2027).
The rapidly growing capital of Anhui Province in Eastern China boasts a population of 10 million people and is a key economic player in the region.
