Bihar is set to host the first Indian Open Athletics Meet at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna today. This one-day event will feature top athletes who have represented India in the Olympics and various international competitions. Bihar is hosting this event for the first time.
       

Briefing media persons about the event, Director General of the Bihar State Sports Authority, Ravindran Shankaran said, over 400 athletes from across the country are participating in the competition. He added that the athletes’ performance in the meet will decide their selection for the upcoming Asian and Commonwealth games.

The athletics championship will witness different events including long-and middle-distance run, sprint, relay race, steeplechase race, long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put and discus, hammer or javelin throw, decathlon, heptathlon, marathon and half marathon among others.
       

The Open Athletics Meet 2025 is being organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) in collaboration with the Bihar State Sports Authority.
       

Among the key participants in this major sporting event in Patna are national record holder and champion in 100m and 200m races Animesh Kujur, national record holder in pole vault Dev Meena, Asian medalist and Olympian Ankita Dhyani, and Himanshu Jakhar – who brought home India’s first gold in javelin throw at the Asian Under-18 Championships.
       

Other prominent names include Olympian and javelin thrower Kishore Jena, Olympian in the 400m sprint Kiran Pahal, Asian silver medalist in javelin throw Sachin Yadav, and two-time Asian bronze medalist in heptathlon Purnima Hembrom. A total of 23 athletes from Bihar will also be participating in this edition of the meet being held in Patna.
       

The Patliputra Sports Complex, one of the best-equipped stadiums in the region, will provide the venue for the competition. This meet is not only a significant sporting event but also a step towards boosting athletic enthusiasm in Bihar and potentially attracting more national and international events in the future.