India is set to host a World Athletics Continental Tour level event for the first time on August 10 next year, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced. The bronze-level Continental Tour event, named the Indian Open, will be held in Bhubaneswar, according to the AFI’s 2025 season competitive calendar, as reported by Olympics.com.
The Continental Tour is an annual series of track and field competitions ranked just below the elite Diamond League. Launched in 2020 as a successor to the World Challenge Series, it is divided into four tiers: gold, silver, bronze, and challenger.
“The Continental Tour will be a good opportunity for the Indian team to showcase its potential on home ground before the world championships in September,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla stated, as per Olympics.com.
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The World Athletics Championships 2025, scheduled to take place in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, will be the highlight of next year’s athletics calendar.
India last hosted an international athletics event in 2017 when the Asian Athletics Championships were held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Before that, the 2013 Asian Championships were organized in Pune at the Balewadi Sports Complex.
The Senior National Federation Cup, to be held in Haryana from April 21 to 24, will serve as the qualification event for the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea in May.
India’s 2025 domestic athletics season will begin with the National Cross-Country Championships in Uttar Pradesh on January 12, followed by the National Inter-District Athletics Meet in February. The Indian Open Throws and Jumps competitions will take place in March.
“The AFI has also introduced regional competition from next year to give more exposure to athletes on the fringes. The regional competitions will commence in April,” Sumariwalla added.
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