Bhubaneswar: Kalinga stadium, has got the 'go ahead' from International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to host the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship starting from July 5.
IAFF Technical director Shen Chunde, who reviewed the infrastructure at Kalinga stadium on Friday, expressed satisfaction over the arrangements and other preparations for the event.
Also Read: Indians will benefit from Asian Athletics Championships, say Usha, Anju
Shen inspected both the synthetic tracks, players’ entry and exit points, warm-up room, equipments and gymnasium.
Official sources said, the eight-lane track at the Kalinga Stadium has been successfully re-laid. As many as 40 new rooms, with advanced equipment, have been built in the Stadium to accommodate the athletes and sports officials.
Arrangements have been made for dope test,medical test, podium of medal winners, media gallery and a video analysis room has been set up.
The events from July 5-9, will see participation of nearly 1,104 athletes comprising 724 males and 380 females from 45 countries.
India has registered the largest number of participants with 168 athletes followed by China, Japan, Thailand and Kuwait. The hosts are expected to announce their final squad on Monday, sources said.
The Odisha government is not leaving any stone upturned for successful hosting of the mega sporting event. Already, a lot of effort has been put to convert Kalinga stadium into an International venue in just 90 days.