Chennai set to bring Asian Athletics Championships back to India in 2029

Chennai is set to host the 2029 Asian Athletics Championships, with the Asian Athletics Association awaiting formal guarantees from the Tamil Nadu government. The event would mark India's third time hosting the continental showpiece.Chennai is all set to bring the Asian Athletics Championships back to India (Representational image from PTI)Chennai is on the verge of securing the rights to host the 2029 Asian Athletics Championships, with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) awaiting formal assurances from the Tamil Nadu government before making the award official.The continental body's council discussed the proposal at its 107th meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday. The final confirmation is expected once the state government submits the required financial and administrative guarantees.“Subject to presentation of letters of guarantee from the Govt, Asian Athletics Association is pleased to award the 2029 Asian Athletics Championships to Chennai, Tamil Nadu,” the statement read.C Latha, a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Athletics Association who is in Tokyo as part of the Indian contingent, said the documents were expected to be handed over on Wednesday. "We have made the presentation and the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) 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."We are hoping to get the guarantees tomorrow from our state government. So, the final decision is expected to come tomorrow," she added. World Athletics Vice President and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla was also present at the meeting. He confirmed that Chennai would be awarded the hosting rights once the necessary guarantees were received from the state government.If finalised, the event will mark the third occasion that India has staged the Asian Athletics Championships. Pune hosted the competition in 2013, followed by Bhubaneswar in 2017. Chennai is set to welcome the 28th edition of the biennial event in 2029.The next edition, the 27th in the series, is scheduled to take place in Xiamen, China, between May 28 and June 2, 2027.India is also preparing to stage several major athletics competitions over the coming years. Chandigarh is scheduled to host the Asian Relays Championships in August 2027, while Bhubaneswar will stage both the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and the World Indoor Athletics Championships in 2028.The country is also in the race to bring the World U20 Athletics Championships to Ahmedabad in 2028.- Ends