Bhubaneswar: The 40th National Junior Athletics Championships officially began today at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The five-day national event, which runs until October 14, will feature approximately 2,000 young athletes from various states across the country competing in multiple track and field disciplines.
This championship is a joint effort by the Athletics Federation of India, the Odisha Athletics Association, and the state’s Sports and Youth Services Department. It marks the second consecutive year that the Kalinga Stadium is hosting the junior national meet, underscoring Odisha’s growing reputation as a sports hub.
The opening day’s schedule includes a packed itinerary of qualification rounds and a number of finals, including the women’s 5,000m in the Under-20 category. Competition will be held across several age groups, with new modifications introduced this year, such as triathlon events in the Under-14 category, as part of AFI’s efforts toward holistic athlete development and curbing early specialization.
Haryana is fielding the largest contingent with 147 athletes, while the host state, Odisha, is represented by a strong team of 75 participants. The tournament holds added significance as top-performing athletes will be considered for selection to the national squad for the upcoming South Asian Senior Athletics Championships in Ranchi later this month.
Organizers have also implemented new measures to check age fraud, including the introduction of Unique Identification Numbers (UID) and QR codes on the bib numbers of the age-group competitors. The Kalinga Stadium is concurrently hosting another major event, the 28th Asian Table Tennis Teams Championship, highlighting the venue’s capability to manage high-profile sporting fixtures simultaneously. The presence of AFI officials and selectors throughout the event emphasizes the championship’s role as a crucial platform for talent identification, with potential future stars being scouted for specialized training centers.