India’s first National Indoor Athletics Championships

Current Context: India’s first National Indoor Athletics Championships were held at Kalinga Indoor Stadium, Bhubaneswar from 24–26 March 2026, organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) with support from the Odisha Government.

• A total of 278 athletes competed on a world-class 200m synthetic track, making it a historic milestone.

Highlights (Medal Winners):

• Mohammed Afsal P – Men’s 800m (Gold, record 1:47.86s)
• Gurindervir Singh – Men’s 60m (Gold, record 6.60s)
• Reegan Ganesh – Men’s Pole Vault (Gold, record 5.30m)
• Baranica Elangovan – Women’s Pole Vault (Gold, record 4.22m)
• Sarun Payasingh – Men’s Long Jump (Gold, 7.80m)
• Anamika K A – Women’s Long Jump (Gold, 6.05m)
• Preeti Yadav – Women’s 800m (Gold, 2:11.83s)
• Anjali C – Women’s 60m Hurdles (Gold, 8.32s)
• Krishik M – Men’s 60m Hurdles (Gold, 7.71s)

This historic first indoor meet produced multiple national records, gave India its first taste of indoor athletics, and is seen as a step toward hosting the World Indoor Athletics Championships 2028.

Question:

Q.1 The first National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026 were held at:
a) Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi
b) Kalinga Indoor Stadium, Bhubaneswar
c) DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai
d) Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata

Answer: b) India’s first National Indoor Athletics Championships were held at Kalinga Indoor Stadium, Bhubaneswar from 24–26 March 2026, organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) with support from the Odisha Government.