Pune wins 2032 UCI Road World Championships hosting rights in first for India

Pune will host the 2032 UCI Road World Championships, marking India's first time for this major cycling event, enhancing its global sports identity.

Pune has won the right to host the 2032 UCI Road World Championships, bringing cycling’s flagship annual road-racing event to India for the first time. UCI Congress in Montreal on Thursday announced the decision following Pune’s final candidature presentation.

The decision followed a three-member UCI inspection team’s visit to Pune from September 4 to 6. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

The bid, jointly developed by the Maharashtra government and the Cycling Federation of India (CFI), with support from the Union government, was built around Pune’s experience of hosting the inaugural Pune Grand Tour in January 2026 and a long-term plan to develop cycling infrastructure, athlete pathways, grassroots participation and sports tourism.

Pune emerged as the final choice after a two-way contest with Groningen/Drenthe in the Netherlands. Colombia and Mexico had earlier been eliminated from the candidature process. The Dutch bid was awarded the 2034 Road and Para-cycling World Championships.

UCI president David Lappartient described the two final bids as “two very, very solid bids”.

The decision followed a three-member UCI inspection team’s visit to Pune from September 4 to 6. The team assessed the Balewadi Sports Complex, Savitribai Phule Pune University, proposed race routes, accommodation, start and finish points, and operational arrangements. Officials also demonstrated the race routes and convoy systems used during the Pune Grand Tour.

The January 2026 Pune Grand Tour, a UCI 2.2 stage race and the first UCI-sanctioned multi-stage road race in India, was a key part of Pune’s bid. The event involved coordination with more than 25 government departments and preparation of 437 km of race-ready roads.

The UCI said the Grand Tour attracted 2.5 million spectators overall, including 1.5 million for its final stage.

Lappartient had earlier praised the development of the Pune Grand Tour, saying its report was “extremely encouraging” and that cycling was developing in new territories where it had the potential to become a leading sport.

“India is undoubtedly, alongside China, a country where our sport has a bright future, thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of key stakeholders,” he had said.

Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi said the world championships would be about more than hosting a major cycling race.

“This is a defining moment for Pune and the result of a shared vision between the Government of Maharashtra and the Cycling Federation of India,” Dudi said.

He said the championships would bring together “elite sport, mass public participation, global broadcasting, tourism, economic impact and destination branding”, while giving Pune an opportunity to strengthen its identity as a global city.

The championships are among the most prestigious events in international cycling, with riders competing for the coveted rainbow jerseys. The 2025 edition in Kigali, Rwanda, featured 734 riders representing 113 countries, attracted about two million spectators and generated a cumulative global television audience of nearly 300 million, according to the UCI.

For Pune, the six-year run-up to 2032 is expected to focus on expanding the Grand Tour, developing cycling routes and facilities, and creating pathways for young and women cyclists.

The bid also envisages using the championships to showcase Pune district’s forts, ghats, agricultural landscapes, heritage and religious sites to an international audience.

CFI secretary general Maninder Pal Singh said the event would help Indian cycling move beyond participation towards performance and international expertise.

“For Indian cycling, this is an opportunity to move from participation to performance and from hosting international races to becoming a part of cycling’s global conversation,” Singh said.

He said the years leading to 2032 would focus on strengthening pathways for athletes, coaches and technical officials and providing greater exposure for Indian riders to international standards.

The 2032 championships will come four years before India’s proposed bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games. The event could therefore also provide experience in managing international competition, technical operations, volunteer networks, athlete services and large-scale sporting infrastructure.

Pune will follow hosts, including Wollongong (2022), Glasgow (2023), Zurich (2024), Kigali (2025) and Montreal (2026). Abu Dhabi will host in 2028, followed by Denmark in 2029, Brussels in 2030 and Trentino in 2031 before the championships arrive in Pune.