The Kalinga Indoor Stadium in Bhubaneswar will host the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced on March 19, 2026. The World Athletics Council awarded the event to India at a meeting in Torun, Poland. India last hosted a global athletics event, the World Half-Marathon, in Delhi in 2004.

AFI president Bahadur Singh Sagoo confirmed the venue. A two-member World Athletics delegation inspected it in January. The stadium, described as India’s first of its kind, is scheduled to host the inaugural National Indoors on March 24 and 25. It is also the front-runner to host the 2028 Asian Indoor Championships; an Asian Athletics Association team inspected it last month.

The Dalmia Bharat Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy was inaugurated at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on December 12, 2024. The Odisha government, Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation and Dalmia Bharat Group collaborated on the ₹75-crore centre. The government provided 3 acres at the stadium; Dalmia Bharat built the infrastructure, and the foundation will provide technical expertise.

The academy has 77,000 sq ft of indoor space, eight badminton courts, seating for 400 spectators, residential facilities for 50 players, a gymnasium and an outdoor-activities amphitheatre. Its design is inspired by a shuttlecock and includes rainwater harvesting for groundwater recharge and energy-efficient LED lighting.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Assam Chief Minister and Badminton Association of India president Himant Biswa Sarma inaugurated the facility with national coach Pullela Gopichand. Naveen Patnaik, who laid its foundation stone in 2018, met Gopichand after the inauguration.

State government has initiated soil testing for the Jayadev Vihar-Nandankanan elevated corridor project, part of initial phase work. Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation Limited managing director Anupam Saha confirmed soil investigation is underway, with land demarcation and utility services shifting to follow soon.

Soil testing initially planned near Kalinga Stadium, Jayadev Vihar, Kalinga Hospital Square, Damana, and KIIT Square, to determine soil strength and load-bearing capacity before construction. Works department will seek NHAI permission for corridor portion crossing NH overbridge near Jayadev Vihar Square.

State cabinet approved the 9.5-km project on 1 July 2026. Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt Ltd awarded contract as lowest bidder at Rs 579 crore. Target completion: 24 months.

Corridor stretches from Kalinga Stadium (Gate 4) to Raghunathpur bridge, widening from six lanes to eight-lane carriageway with service roads. Project includes four flyovers at Jayadev Vihar (cable-stayed bridge), Kalinga Hospital Square, Damana Square, and KIIT Square, plus improvements at Kalarahanga junction. Features: service roads, slip roads, pedestrian subways, underground parking, drainage, bridges, roundabouts, road safety measures, lighting, landscaping, avenue plantation.