The Indian Athletics Series 5 is scheduled for May 9, 2026, in New Delhi. It is the fifth leg of the 16-part Indian Athletics Series, a new circuit introduced by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the 2026 domestic season with lower entry standards and a focus on regional talent development.
The timing makes IAS 5 particularly significant. It falls just 13 days before the Federation Cup in Ranchi (May 22-25), which is the final selection trial for the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow. Athletes heading into that high-stakes meet will want at least one strong performance before they arrive in Ranchi. New Delhi gives them exactly that.
This guide covers everything about the meet: what it is, the schedule, who can participate, how it connects to the bigger 2026 season, and what to expect at one of India’s most historic athletics venues.
Indian Athletics Series 5 (2026): Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event Name | Indian Athletics Series 5 (IAS 5) |
| Date | May 9, 2026 (One-day competition) |
| Venue | New Delhi |
| Organiser | Athletics Federation of India (AFI) |
| Series Position | 5th of 16 legs in the 2026 Indian Athletics Series |
| Entry Standard | Lower than national championships (relaxed eligibility for all categories) |
| Age Categories | Senior and Junior |
| Series Final | September 12, 2026, New Delhi (by invitation) |
| Official Source | indianathletics.in |
What Is the Indian Athletics Series?
The Indian Athletics Series (IAS) is a 16-meet regional competition circuit introduced by AFI for 2026. It replaces the older Indian Grand Prix format, which ran only three events in 2025, with a far broader structure spanning April to September and 16 cities across India.
The core idea behind the IAS is access. Entry standards are deliberately kept lower than those for the Federation Cup or Inter-State Championships, meaning athletes who have not yet reached national championship level can still compete. Junior events are also included in the schedule, giving younger athletes more competitive exposure.
AFI Competition Director Ravinder Chaudhry described the intent clearly: the IAS gives young athletes on the fringes a chance to compete at a higher level with a minimum entry standard.
Crucially, IAS appearances count toward AFI’s new mandatory competition requirements for senior national championships. An athlete who competes at IAS 5 in New Delhi has one more AFI appearance on record, which helps with eligibility for both the Federation Cup and Inter-State Championships
Full Indian Athletics Series 2026 Schedule
IAS 5 in New Delhi is the first of the series’s two back-to-back May meets. It is followed the very next day by IAS 6 in Chennai on May 10. Together, they form a concentrated May block just before the Federation Cup. The full 16-leg schedule is below.
| Leg | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 4, 2026 | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| 2 | April 5, 2026 | Udaipur, Rajasthan |
| 3 | April 11, 2026 | Sangrur, Punjab |
| 4 | April 12, 2026 | Ranchi, Jharkhand |
| 5 ★ | May 9, 2026 | New Delhi |
| 6 | May 10, 2026 | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| 7 | June 6, 2026 | Guwahati, Assam |
| 8 | June 7, 2026 | Pune, Maharashtra |
| 9 | June 13, 2026 | Ludhiana, Punjab |
| 10 | June 14, 2026 | Trivandrum, Kerala |
| 11 | June 15, 2026 | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| 12 | June 16, 2026 | Nadiad, Gujarat |
| 13 | August 14, 2026 | Warangal, Telangana |
| 14 | August 16, 2026 | Panchkula, Haryana |
| 15 | August 29, 2026 | Shillong / Sikkim |
| 16 | September 5, 2026 | Anju Bobby George Foundation, Bengaluru |
| Final | September 12, 2026 | New Delhi (By Invitation Only) |
The series concludes with an invitation-only IAS Final on September 12, 2026, in New Delhi. Strong performers from IAS 5 and other legs could earn a place in that finale, making the May 9 meet doubly important for Delhi-region athletes.
The Venue: New Delhi and Its Athletics Legacy
New Delhi is home to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which serves as AFI’s headquarters and India’s primary athletics venue for major meets. The JLN Stadium has a long track record in Indian athletics.
The Government of India built the stadium for the 1982 Asian Games to host all track and field events, making it one of the oldest athletics venues in the country still in active use. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) substantially renovated it for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, during which the venue hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and all athletics competitions.
The stadium also hosted the 1989 Asian Athletics Championships and, most recently, the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships from September 27 to October 5, 2025, which marked the first time India or South Asia hosted the event.
For IAS 5 specifically, AFI has not yet announced the exact venue within Delhi as of March 2026. The JLN Stadium remains the most likely location given its infrastructure and AFI’s established relationship with the facility.
Hosting IAS 5 in New Delhi is notable for another reason: the IAS Series Final on September 12 is also there. That makes the capital city both the mid-season and end-of-season home for the IAS in 2026, signaling how important the Delhi athletics circuit is to AFI’s planning.
Who Can Participate in Indian Athletics Series 5?
The Indian Athletics Series is open to athletes registered with AFI through their respective state athletics associations. The series is designed to be accessible, so the entry requirements are lower than those of national championship standards.
Eligibility at a glance:
- State or institutional units must affiliate athletes with the AFI.
- The AFI relaxed entry standards compared to the Federation Cup or Inter-State Championships
- Both Senior and Junior athletes can compete.
- State Championship participation is mandatory for all athletes in 2026, but this is a separate requirement from IAS entry.
IAS 5 counts as one AFI competition toward the mandatory participation requirements for the Federation Cup (minimum 2) and Inter-State Championships (minimum 3).
The AFI’s ORS (Online Registration System) handles registration for IAS meets. Athletes and coaches should monitor the official Circular 2026 page at indianathletics.in for the IAS 5 specific circular, which will include the entry deadline, event list, and venue details.
Mandatory Participation Rules and Why IAS 5 Counts
One of the most important structural changes AFI made for 2026 is the mandatory competition rule. Athletes cannot just show up at the Federation Cup or the Inter-State Championships without a prior competition history. The IAS meets, including IAS 5, are one of the primary ways to build that history.
| Competition | Minimum AFI Events Required | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Championships (May 22-25, Ranchi) | 2 AFI events | indianathletics.in |
| 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships (July 8-12, Bhubaneswar) | 3 AFI events (incl. State Championships) | indianathletics.in |
| Asian Games 2026 / CWG 2026 squad eligibility | 3 domestic competitions (flexibility for elite athletes) | olympics.com |
For an athlete targeting the Federation Cup in Ranchi (May 22-25) as a CWG 2026 trial, competing at IAS 5 on May 9 gives them one of the two required AFI appearances. If they have already competed once before (say, at IAS 1, 2, 3, or 4, or the 7th Indian Open 400m in Trivandrum), then IAS 5 completes their eligibility requirement with time to spare.
For athletes targeting the 65th National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar (July 8-12) as an Asian Games 2026 trial, IAS 5 provides one of the three required appearances. Given that the state meets one of those three, an athlete who competed at a state championship and IAS 5 would only need one more AFI competition before July.
Why Indian Athletics Series 5 Is Well-Timed
The positioning of IAS 5 in the 2026 calendar is not accidental. It lands at a moment when multiple things are converging for Indian athletics.
Immediately After the World Relays (May 2-3, Botswana)
Just a week before IAS 5, India’s relay teams compete at the World Athletics Relays 2026 in Gaborone, Botswana, on May 2-3. The relay squad returns from international competition exactly as the domestic IAS circuit is heating up. Sprinters and 400m runners not selected for the World Relays squad get their competitive outing at IAS 5 instead.
Immediately Before the Federation Cup (May 22-25, Ranchi)
The 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Championships in Ranchi are the final selection trials for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Active Voice: “Senior vice-president Anju Bobby George confirmed this for the AFI: the federation will select athletes for Glasgow if they achieve the qualifying mark by May.
IAS 5 on May 9 falls exactly 13 days before the Federation Cup. For athletes chasing CWG qualification marks, this is a final opportunity to tune their form, test race conditions, and arrive in Ranchi race-ready rather than coming in cold.
Back-to-Back with IAS 6 in Chennai
IAS 6 runs in Chennai on May 10, the day after IAS 5. While the same athlete would not typically compete on consecutive days, coaches can use the two-day window to evaluate different squad members across both meets or plan staggered event selections. The back-to-back format is intentional, giving AFI more geographic coverage in a short window.
IAS 5 vs Earlier Legs: What Makes the May Meets Different
The first four IAS legs (Bengaluru, Udaipur, Sangrur, Ranchi) ran in April, when the season was just getting started. IAS 5 arrives in May with a different competitive atmosphere.
- Higher stakes: By May, the Federation Cup is 13 days away. Athletes are no longer warming up. They are in season mode and need results.
- Fuller fields: Athletes from across North and Central India who did not travel to the April legs in Bengaluru, Udaipur, Sangrur, or Ranchi now have a home-ground option in New Delhi.
- Qualification urgency: The AFI mandatory participation deadline is real. Athletes who have zero or one prior AFI competition by early May will be in a rush to meet the two-event minimum before the Federation Cup.
- Visibility: New Delhi is India’s capital and the site of the IAS Final in September. Performing well here puts athletes in front of national selectors and media at a time when both are paying attention.
Indian Athletics Series 5 in the Full 2026 Calendar Context
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| April 24-26, 2026 | 24th National Junior Athletics Federation Competition | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| May 2-3, 2026 | World Athletics Relays 2026 | Gaborone, Botswana |
| May 2-3, 2026 | 1st Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault | Bhubaneswar, Odisha |
| May 9, 2026 ★ | Indian Athletics Series 5 | New Delhi |
| May 10, 2026 | Indian Athletics Series 6 | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| May 22-25, 2026 | 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Championships (CWG Trials) | Ranchi, Jharkhand |
| June 24-28, 2026 | 65th National Inter-State Athletics Championships (Asian Games Trials) | Bhubaneswar, Odisha |
| July 23 to August 2, 2026 | Commonwealth Games 2026 | Glasgow, Scotland |
| September 19 to October 4, 2026 | Asian Games 2026 | Aichi-Nagoya, Japan |
The overall 2026 AFI calendar has expanded from 32 to 40 events, a 25% increase from 2025, with the explicit goal of maximizing competitive exposure ahead of two major Games in the same year.
For Indian athletes, 2026 is genuinely one of the busiest domestic athletics seasons in recent memory. Less than seven weeks separate the Glasgow Commonwealth Games (July 23 to August 2) and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (September 19 to October 4). The IAS circuit, and specifically the May legs like IAS 5 and IAS 6, helps ensure athletes are match-ready well before both events.
AFI’s New Delhi Athletics Infrastructure
New Delhi holds a unique place in Indian athletics. Beyond the JLN Stadium, the city houses the Sports Authority of India (SAI) National Institute of Sports facilities on the same complex, making it one of the most complete athletics training and competition ecosystems in the country.
The capital also serves as a selection hub. AFI’s headquarters are at the JLN Stadium complex on Lodhi Road. Running well at IAS 5 in New Delhi, with selectors potentially present and digital results uploaded the same day, puts an athlete’s performance directly in the conversation.
AFI has also mandated digital submission of results for all 2026 competitions.
How to Register and Follow the Indian Athletics Series 5
Here is where to find everything:
- Official Website:indianathletics.in
- 2026 Circulars (including IAS specific circulars):indianathletics.in/circular_category/circular-2026
- 2026 Competition Calendar PDF:indianathletics.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/COMPETITION-CALENDAR-2026.pdf
- AFI Events Page:indianathletics.in/afi-events
- Results Page (post-meet):indianathletics.in/results
- Athlete / ORS Login: Available through indianathletics.in
The specific circular for IAS 5 will be published by AFI on the Circular 2026 page ahead of the meeting. It will contain the event list, entry standards, entry deadline, and confirmed venue. Circulars for IAS 1 (Circular No. 28), IAS 2 (Circular No. 29), and IAS 3 (Circular No. 30) have already been released, indicating AFI is publishing IAS circulars in sequence as each leg approaches. (Source: indianathletics.in/circular_category/circular-2026)
Also Read:
Indian Athletics Series 5 will start on May 9, 2026
The Indian Athletics Series 5 on May 9, 2026, in New Delhi is more than a mid-season checkpoint. It is one of the last meaningful competitive opportunities before the Federation Cup
For athletes building their mandatory participation record, it is a must-attend. For those in form and pushing for CWG qualifying marks, it is a chance to post a time in the capital with selectors watching. And for junior athletes from the Delhi region who have not yet reached national championship entry standards, it is exactly the kind of competition the Indian Athletics Series was built to provide.
For the latest schedule, circulars, and results, visit indianathletics.in.
