After a gap of more than 25 years, Chandigarh is set to host a major continental sporting event, the Asian Relay Athletics Championships 2027, at the Sector 7 Sports Complex. The Asian Athletics Committee chose Chandigarh over Saudi Arabia to host the event during a meeting in Hong Kong Wednesday.

Confirming the development, Chandigarh Athletics Association secretary Jaspinder Singh said, “Our delegation had come to Hong Kong for the meeting with the Asian Athletics Association committee members and Chandigarh has been chosen to host the Asian Relay Championships. After hosting events like the Athletics Federation of India’s National Walk Championships and National Relay Championships in recent months, the Asian Athletics Relay Championships are a big moment for Chandigarh Athletics.”

He said more than 250 athletes from around 24 countries are expected to compete in the championships.

World Athletics vice president and former Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla also confirmed the development. “Congratulations, Indian athletics. Odisha has been awarded the Asian Indoor Championships 2028. Chandigarh has been awarded the Asian Relays 2027. Odisha and Chandigarh were selected as host cities today at the Asian Athletics Council in Hong Kong. Very proud moment for India,” Sumeriwalla said.

While Chandigarh hosted the Asian Rowing Championships in the past, the city has not hosted many international tournaments since then. While the Sector 16 Stadium hosted an India-Australia ODI in 2007, the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium had hosted the Punjab Gold Cup, an international hockey tournament, in 2009. Chandigarh Athletics Association has hosted the National Relay Championships and National Race Walk Championships at Sukhna Lake in recent years.

“Hosting the National Relay Championships at Sector 7 Sports Complex and the National Race Walk Championships at Sukhna Lake have given a lot of exposure and experience to host national-level elite competitions. We hope all international athletes enjoy competing in Chandigarh and it will be a memorable experience for them,” said Harjinder Singh, president, Chandigarh Athletics Association.  

Earlier in March, a two-member delegation of the Asian Athletics Association, with the secretary general Shugurman and technical director SK Carlson, visited Chandigarh to take stock of the facilities, including the athletics track at the Sector 7 Sports Complex. Sorabh Kumar Arora, UT Director Sports, spoke about Chandigarh hosting such a big event and about the UT administration’s readiness.

“It is a huge thing for Chandigarh to host the Asian Athletics Relay Championships and the UT administration and sports department are prepared for the event. We have started the work on the floodlights as well as the spectator gallery at the stadium, and such events will motivate players, as well as coaches and youth, a lot,” Arora told The Indian Express.