There could be a rare opportunity for Indian athletics fans to see world record holder Armando ‘Mondo’ Duplantis in action on home soil, with Bhubaneswar set to host the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships.
India will host the prestigious indoor event for the first time after World Athletics awarded the hosting rights to the country at a Council meeting in Toruń, Poland on Thursday. The decision was made a day before the start of the 2026 World Indoor Championships in the Polish city.
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“India has won the 2028 World Indoor Championships title,” World Athletics Vice President Adille Sumariwalla confirmed.
The biennial event features some of the biggest names in world athletics, including pole vaulting superstar Duplantis, who has dominated the event in recent years. His presence in Bhubaneswar in 2028 would offer Indian fans a chance to watch one of the modern giants of the sport up close.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had earlier announced its bid for the 2028 edition, with a world athletics delegation visiting the indoor facility at the Kalinga Stadium Complex in January.
AFI President Bahadur Singh Sagoo said the development reflected the growing stature of Indian athletics on the global stage.
“The 2028 World Indoor Championships awarded to India signifies the rising status of Indian athletics. Athletics in the country has been in the limelight since Neeraj Chopra’s success at the Olympics and the World Championships,” he said.
The Kalinga Stadium complex in Bhubaneswar, home to state-of-the-art indoor facilities, has emerged as a key venue in India’s bid to host major international events.
India has also submitted bids for several global competitions, including the 2028 U-20 World Cup and the 2031 World Athletics Championships, as part of its larger ambition to host the 2036 Olympics.
WHO IS MONDO DUPLANTIS?
Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis is perhaps the greatest athlete of all time. Pole vaulter Duplantis has broken the world record 15 times in a remarkable display of dominance since 2020. The Swedish star cleared 6.31 meters at the Mondo Classic indoor meet in Uppsala, Sweden, breaking the world record for the 15th time in his career and bettering his own mark by one centimeter.
Unlike most athletic events, the pole vault has a single world record covering both indoor and outdoor performances. And it was six years ago at an indoor meet in Poland that Duplantis broke the pole vault record for the first time.
During a six-year world record spree, he also won two Olympic gold medals, including a world record at the 2024 Paris Games, won a Laureus World Sports Award and put together a 38-game winning streak that stretches back to 2023.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
March 19, 2026 10:16 PM IST
