India will formally begin its tryst with narrower tracks and consistent conditions of indoor athletics by hosting the format’s maiden national championship starting here on Tuesday, taking the first preparatory step towards conducting the world championship at the same venue in two years.

The state-of-the-art facility here was last week named as the venue for the World Indoor Athletics Championships to be held from March 3-5, 2028. It would be the first time that the country will be hosting a global track and field showpiece. The national championship would be a two-day affair at the facility which was inaugurated in 2024.

Indoor athletics has been a lesser known aspect of the sport in the country, though some Indians have been competing at the international stage. This has to do, in large part, with the lack of top-class indoor facilities in the country. In indoor events, athletes run on tracks which are narrower and have banked turns. The outdoor 400m tracks are wider and have flat turns. Indoor events are not affected by wind and the weather conditions are consistent throughout the duration of the competition.

Familiar faces like star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable will not compete here as their events are not in the roster. With the completion of the world-class facility inside the Kalinga Stadium complex here, India was able to convince World Athletics to allocate the 2028 global showpiece.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), which worked in tandem with the Odisha government to get the rights, is also hoping to host the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship here in 2028. A decision of the host venue is likely to be taken in May by the Asian Athletics Association.

Novel experience awaits athletes

It will be a novel experience for many Indian athletes, the organisers and the officials of the AFI. An indoor competition is run on a 200m track instead of 400m in outdoor events in a closed and smaller facility. The shortest sprint race, 60m run, is one of the most followed events while 60m hurdles is also in the roster.

Field events like high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump and shot put are included. But throw events like javelin, discus and hammer are excluded.

Around 300 athletes will compete in the national championships with Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra sending big contingents of around 30 athletes each. National record holders in outdoor events like Animesh Kujur, Mohammed Afsal and Praveen Chitravel are competing in the indoor competition. Some of the country’s top performers in indoor events, mainly in the NCAA in the USA, like Lokesh Sathyanathan (men’s long jump), Krishna Jayasankar (women’s shot put) and Selva Prabhu (men’s triple jump) are not competing here.

The Indoor facility at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar has a 200m synthetic track of oval shape, a 100m straight running track (80m plus 20m), and designated areas for long jump, triple jump, pole vault, and shot put, each compliant with World Athletics Category 1 standards.

Also read: Malta to host Commonwealth Youth Games 2027