World Athletics delegation visits Gujarat for 2031 Championship bid

A five-member World Athletics delegation visited Gujarat to inspect its sports infrastructure. The state is bidding to host the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2028 and the World Athletics Championships in 2031.

A five-member delegation of World Athletics, the international governing body for athletics, on Monday visited Gujarat under the leadership of Antti Pihlakoski, Chairman of the Bid Evaluation Panel, according to an official statement released by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Gujarat's Bid for Global Sporting Events

Gujarat is a prospective host for the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2028 and the World Athletics Championships in 2031. In connection with these proposed sporting events, the statement stated that the World Athletics delegation has arrived in Gujarat for a two-day visit on June 22 and 23 to study and inspect the state's sports infrastructure and other related facilities.

Meeting with State Leadership

The delegation commenced its Gujarat visit with a meeting in Gandhinagar with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi. During his interaction with the members of the delegation, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed confidence that the delegation would gain first-hand experience of Gujarat's preparedness and sports culture through its inspection visit of the state's sports infrastructure. He added, "The Gujarat Government is optimistic about securing the hosting rights for the World Athletics Championships 2031 and has accelerated preparations for the successful organisation of these games."

During the discussions at the meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi also stated that Gujarat is fully prepared to host world-class sporting events, including the World Police and Fire Games and the Commonwealth Games 2030. He added that facilities for hosting such global sporting events are being rapidly developed at venues such as the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Sardar Patel Sports Enclave, the world's largest stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium, and the Karai Academy. The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sanjeev Kumar, Director General of the Sports Authority of Gujarat, Vala, Adille Sumariwalla, Vice President of World Athletics and other dignitaries. (ANI)

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