India to host 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships
Odisha to host first-ever World Athletics Indoor Championships in India
Last week marked a historic moment in Indian sport, as Odisha was granted rights to host the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships at the Kalinga Athletics Stadium. This is the first time that the global competition will be hosted in India.
The announcement was made by Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, before the commencement of the 2026 edition in Poland. It was also confirmed that Kazakhstan will stage the 2030 edition, with Astana selected as the host city.
The decision to award India hosting rights underlines the increasing confidence in the nation’s ability to stage global events, and the selection of Odisha reflects the city’s emergence as a key destination for major sports, building on its reputation since hosting the Hockey World Cup.
Additionally, staging the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships is a massive step toward a major goal for India - hosting the 2036 Olympic Games - and this will also serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Ahmedabad.
The 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships are expected to take place between March 3 and 5. Odisha previously hosted the Asian Championships in 2017 and has organised a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting.
2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships Placement Table
India has not made its mark on the World Athletics Indoor Championships scene in terms of participation, having never won a medal at the competition. Additionally, no Indian athlete featured at the 2026 edition in Poland, highlighting significant performance gaps.
Thus, the 2028 edition is expected to provide exposure for Indian athletes and inspire the youth of the nation to pursue indoor athletics disciplines, while also helping create employment and enhance sports infrastructure within India.
2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships medals tally
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Medals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 5 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 164 |
| 2 | Poland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 58 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 54 |
| 4 | Jamaica | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 52 |
| 5 | Great Britain | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 49 |
| 5 | Italy | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 49 |
| 7 | Australia | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 43 |
| 8 | Spain | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 39 |
| 9 | Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 36 |
| 10 | France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 31 |
