World Athletics VP Adille Sumariwalla warns that over 90% of India’s tracks are below global standards, raising concerns ahead of the country’s Olympic ambitions.

World Athletics Vice President Adille Sumariwalla recently stated that over 90% of athletic tracks in India fall below international standards, citing critical flaws in materials, installation, and measurements. While India has made significant strides in hosting elite events, Sumariwalla highlighted that many existing facilities fail to meet the rigorous certification requirements of World Athletics.A vast majority of tracks suffer from improper lane marking and incorrect measurements.

Sumariwalla previously criticized the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for failing to properly maintain grounds, specifically highlighting neglected shot put and long jump areas.Concerns were raised regarding the use of flawed materials and poor installation techniques during construction.

"Over 90% of tracks in India fall below standard, flawed materials, poor installation, incorrect measurements & improper lane marking.We had a meeting with World Athletics in Tokyo and they were not happy with the quality of certified tracks in India”, said Sumariwalla.

Despite these concerns, Sumariwalla is actively promoting India’s potential to become a "sporting superpower" through targeted investments. He praised the Odisha government for creating top-tier infrastructure at the Kalinga Stadium, which he considers some of the best in South Asia.India has successfully won the bid to host the 2028 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Bhubaneswar.

Will it affect India’s bid for Olympics 2036?

The concerns raised by World Athletics Vice President Adille Sumariwalla act as a critical reality check rather than a deal-breaker for India's 2036 Olympic bid. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) demands elite-level facilities, modern bidding focuses more on long-term legacy and future development than on having every stadium ready today. The IOC heavily scrutinises a host’s ability to deliver world-class venues. Substandard tracks could signal a lack of technical expertise, potentially weakening India's position against rivals like Qatar, which claims 95% of its infrastructure is already Games-ready.

Current IOC rules (Agenda 2020) no longer require cities to have all infrastructure pre-built. Instead, they encourage using existing or temporary venues and building new ones only if they have a clear post-Games use. This gives India a window to fix the flaws Sumariwalla identified over the next decade.Sumariwalla himself noted that India must first host multiple World Championships (like the 2028 Indoor Championships) to "demonstrate credibility" and prove it can maintain international standards.