Chennai Set To Host 2029 Asian Athletics Championships

Chennai is set to host the 2029 Asian Athletics Championships, subject to the submission of financial and other guarantees from the Tamil Nadu government. The Asian Athletics Association (AAA) is expected to formally award the hosting rights once the required assurances are received.

The decision was taken during the 107th AAA Council meeting held in Tokyo on November 10. C Latha, a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Athletics Association, confirmed that the state government is expected to submit the necessary guarantees on Wednesday.

"We have made the presentation and the Asian Athletics Association asked us to submit the financial and other guarantees from the state government. The AAA said they will award the 2029 Asian Championships to Chennai once they get the guarantees," Latha told PTI from Tokyo.

She expressed hope that the state government would provide the documents on November 11, allowing the final decision to be announced.

Adille Sumariwalla, World Athletics Vice President and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) spokesperson, who attended the council meeting, also confirmed that Chennai would be awarded the championships subject to the submission of the government guarantee letters.

If confirmed, this will be the third time India hosts the continental athletics event, following Pune in 2013 and Bhubaneswar in 2017. The Chennai competition will be the 28th edition of the biennial championships.

The 27th edition is scheduled to take place in Xiamen, China, from May 28 to June 2, 2027.

Meanwhile, India is preparing to host several major international athletics events. Chandigarh will stage the Asian Relays Championships in August 2027, while Bhubaneswar will host both the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and World Indoor Athletics Championships in 2028. India is also bidding to host the World U20 Athletics Championships in Ahmedabad in 2028.