India to decide soon on a formal bid to host World Athletics Championships in 2027

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) will take a few more days to deliberate and reach a decision about submitting a formal bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2027, as confirmed by AFI's President Adille Sumariwalla.

The previous edition of the World Athletics Championships took place in Budapest, Hungary, and the upcoming championships are scheduled for Japan in 2025, with India strongly considering a formal bid to host the event.

"We have not made a formal bid," Sumariwalla conveyed to PTI during an event jointly organised by AFI and the World Athletics (WA).

"We are discussing that internally and in the next couple of days, we will finalise that," added Sumariwalla.

In addition to vying for the 2027 World Athletics Championships, India is also preparing to submit a formal bid to host the 2036 Olympics. WA President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, Sebastian Coe, expressed his desire to witness the Games being hosted in India.

"I would love to see the Olympic Games coming to India," stated Coe.

He stressed upon the significance of India in the context of athletics' development and stressed the importance of India hosting global events.

"It is very important that the countries that have the ability, the economics, the political will and the sporting passion to stage events... I also want to see India stage as many of our events as possible. This is important for us. You have one of the largest populations in the world and you have a very strong economy," Coe said.

With its sizeable population and strong economy, India stands as a crucial entity in the world of sports, particularly in athletics. The move to host global events is not just significant personally but also instrumental for the development of athletics, Coe emphasised, expressing his keenness for India to play a pivotal role in global athletics.

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