India is set to host its maiden World Athletics Continental Tour event, a bronze-level meet, in Bhubaneswar on 10 August next year, according to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
Announcing the development while unveiling the 2025 competition calendar, the AFI termed it a significant milestone for Indian athletics.
The World Athletics Continental Tour serves as the second tier of international one-day track and field competitions, following the elite Diamond League.
“This will be the first and most prestigious global athletics event after the permit meets in the 80s and 90s and the World Half Marathon in 2004. This is a big achievement and will help athletics grow in the country,” an AFI official said.
The bronze-level meet, positioned below gold and silver levels, will mark the first global athletics event in India since the international permit meets of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
India last hosted a World Athletics event in 2004 with the World Half Marathon Championships in New Delhi.
In addition to this landmark event, the AFI hinted at the possibility of hosting a significant global-level javelin competition next year. “We are trying for a big global javelin event and hoping to get it,” the official added.
Riding on the success of Olympic gold and silver medallist Neeraj Chopra, India is rapidly emerging as a global javelin powerhouse, boasting more than half a dozen athletes capable of throwing beyond 80 metres.
The Bhubaneswar meet is expected to provide a substantial boost to Indian athletics, offering a platform for local athletes to compete alongside international stars while raising the sport’s profile nationwide.
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