ATHLETICS FEDERATION OF INDIA (AFI) has announced its domestic calendar for 2026, headlined by the inaugural National Indoor Championships and the upgraded World Athletics Continental Tour Silver Level Meet in Bhubaneswar, an elevation from this year’s Bronze Level edition. The calendar also includes the first Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition, set to take place in Bhubaneswar in May.
AFI competition director Ravinder Chaudhry said, “The first National Indoor Championships will be held at Bhubaneswar’s Indoor Stadium on March 24 and 25. The World Athletic Continental Tour Silver Level Meet will be held in August in Bhubaneswar.”
The comprehensive 2026 domestic season will feature 40 competitions, designed to fine-tune the skills of senior and junior athletes in preparation for the 2026 Asian Games, set to be held from 19 September to 4 October.
To boost participation at the grassroots level, the AFI will launch the Indian Athletics Series next year, a 16-event circuit running from April to September, aimed at encouraging regional competitors.
The AFI has also introduced new eligibility criteria for its national meets. Athletes must compete in at least two events to qualify for the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Championships in May. Participation in three competitions, including state-level meets, will be required to enter the 65th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in July.
The 2026 AFI Domestic Calendar
January 24: 60th National Cross Country Championships (Ranchi, Jharkhand)
TBD: NIDJAM (20th National Inter District Junior Athletics Meet.
February 21-22: 13th Indian Open Race Walking Competition (Chandigarh)
March 7-8: Fifth Indian Open Throws Competition (Patiala, Punjab)
March 14-15: Fifth Indian Open Jumps Competition (Anju Bobby George Foundation, Bengaluru)
March 24-25: First National Indoor Athletics Championships (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)
March 28: Seventh Indian Open 400m meet (Trivandrum, Kerala)
April 4: Indian Athletics Series 1 (Bengaluru, Karnataka)
April 5: Indian Athletics Series 2 (Udaipur, Rajasthan)
April 11: Indian Athletics Series 3 (Sangrur, Punjab).
April 12: Indian Athletics Series 4 (Ranchi, Jharkhand)
April 18: Third National Open Relay Competition (Chandigarh)
April 24-26: 24th National Junior Athletics Federation Competition (Mangalore, Karnataka)
May 2-3: First Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)
May 9: Indian Athletics Series 5 (New Delhi)
May 10: Indian Athletics Series 6 (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
May 22-25 (29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competition (Ranchi, Jharkhand).
May 26 to June 5: State competitions
June 6: Indian Athletics Series 7 (Guwahati, Assam)
June 7: Indian Athletics Series 8 (Pune, Maharashtra)
June 13: Indian Athletics Series 9 (Ludhiana, Punjab)
June 14: Indian Athletics Series 10 (Trivandrum, Kerala)
June 20: Indian Athletics Series 11 (Kolkata, West Bengal)
June 21: Indian Athletics Series 12 (Nadiad, Gujarat)
June 21 to 30: State competitions
July 8-12: 65th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)
August 7: Fifth National Javelin Day Competition (all districts)
August 14: Indian Athletics Series 13 (Warangal, Telangana)
August 16: Indian Athletics Series 14 (Panchkula, Haryana)
August 22: Indian Open World Athletics Continental Tour Silver Level (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)
August 29: Indian Athletics Series 15 (Shillong, Sikkim)
August 16 to 31: Junior state competitions
September 1-3 (21st National Youth Athletics Championships (Ludhiana, Punjab).
September 5: Indian Athletics Series 16 (Anju Bobby George Foundation, Bengaluru)
September 12: Indian Athletics Series Final-by invitation (New Delhi)
September 14 to 24: Board Meets
September 14-16: North Zone Junior/South Zone Junior (Dehradun/Puducherry)
September 22-24: East Zone Junior/West Central Zone Junior (Shillong/Patna/Goa/Indore)
October 8-11 (65th National Open Athletics Championships (New Delhi)
October 16-18: Sixth Indian U23 Athletics Competition (Jaipur, Rajasthan)
October 23-27: 41st National Junior Athletics Championships (Chennai, Tamil Nadu).
