India plans to make a “strategic” bid for the 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships later this year, aiming to secure the hosting rights for at least one of these editions, according to national federation spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla on Sunday. World Athletics, the sport’s governing body, will announce the hosts for both the 2029 and 2031 editions in September 2026. The deadline for member countries to express interest is October 1, 2025. “We are preparing strategic bids for the 2029 and 2031 Championships. Both editions will be awarded simultaneously, and we are fine with hosting either,” said Sumariwalla, a vice-president of World Athletics and former president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), in an interview with PTI. “There is still some time before the process starts. We will submit our bids,” added Sumariwalla, who was present at the inaugural NC Classic international javelin event, where host and competitor Neeraj Chopra, the double Olympic medal-winning javelin superstar, emerged victorious on Saturday. The deadline for the initial submission of applications for the world championships is April 1, 2026. Interested countries must then submit their final bid applications by August 5, 2026, before the World Athletics Council announces the host cities for the 2029 and 2031 editions. The AFI has decided to bid for several high-profile events in light of India’s aspirations to host the 2036 Olympics. Earlier, the Federation had considered bidding for the 2029 world championships, but the idea of a “strategic” bid for the 2031 edition may be influenced by the fact that Asia will host the 2025 and 2027 editions, making it challenging for India to secure the next one. With PTI Inputs The 2025 world championships will be held in Tokyo in September-October, while the 2027 edition will take place in Beijing. Given this situation, India has a better chance of securing the 2031 edition. Hosting the 2029 edition in India would mean that Asia would host the showpiece three times in a row. The closest event India might host is the junior world championships in 2028, for which the AFI submitted an expression of interest when World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe visited the country in late 2024. “We have already submitted an expression of interest for the 2028 Junior World Championship,” Sumariwalla said. World Athletics will announce the hosts for the 2028 and 2030 editions of the junior world championships in December 2025. The deadline for the initial submission of bid applications is September 22, 2025. Interested countries must then submit their final bid applications by November 7, 2025. “We are also bidding for the World Athletics Relays after the next two editions. The hosts for the next two editions have already been announced,” he added. Botswana will host the 2026 edition of the World Relays, while the 2028 edition will be held in the Bahamas.