The upcoming World Athletics Championships in 2025 is generating significant anticipation among fans. Scheduled to take place in September this year in Tokyo, Japan, the event will feature prominent athletes, including Neeraj Chopra, who are eager to showcase their talents.
Neeraj's recent successes have greatly increased the popularity of this event in India. As a result, there is now a growing desire to host the World Championships in the country. India is preparing to submit its bid for the 2029 and 2031 editions of the championships, as revealed by former president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), Adille Sumariwalla.
India's Bid for Future Championships
In a statement to a news agency, Adille Sumariwalla mentioned, 'We will be putting forth our bid for the 2029 and 2031 championships. We would be pleased to host either of the two seasons. The process will take some time to initiate, and we will submit our proposal accordingly.' Countries interested in hosting the tournament can submit their bids to World Athletics before October 1, 2025. The announcement regarding the hosts for 2029 and 2031 will be made in September 2026.
The deadline for submitting applications for the World Championships is April 1, 2026. After this date, countries wishing to host the event must finalize their bids by August 5, 2026. Initially, AFI had planned to bid only for the 2029 World Championships, but the decision to also pursue the 2031 season may stem from the fact that Asia is already hosting the championships in 2025 and 2027, making it challenging for India to secure the 2029 edition.
Challenges for Hosting in 2029
The 2025 World Championships will be held in Tokyo, while the 2027 edition is set for Beijing. If India is awarded the hosting rights for 2029, it would mean that the event has been held in Asia for three consecutive times, which is quite unlikely. However, India stands a good chance of hosting the 2031 season. Additionally, Adille Sumariwalla indicated that India has expressed interest in hosting the Junior World Championships in 2028. It will be interesting to see which country ultimately secures the hosting rights for the 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships.
