Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi

The Indira Gandhi Arena, also known as the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium or IG Stadium, is the indoor centrepiece of the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) complex in Indraprastha Estate, Delhi. It was built for the 1982 Asian Games, and in August 2026 it hosted the BWF World Badminton Championships.

Facility profile

• Official name: Indira Gandhi Sports Complex (SAI); the main hall is the Indira Gandhi Arena, formerly the Indraprastha Stadium
• Address: Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex, Inder Prastha Estate, Delhi 110002
• Operator: Sports Authority of India
• Contact: 011-23392729; email igsc.sai@gov.in (administrator: Atul Kumar Singh)
• Land area: 104 acres according to the operator; other published figures give about 102 acres
• Opened: 1 January 1982, for the 1982 Asian Games. The operator does not publish the history of the complex

The arena was upgraded for the 2010 Commonwealth Games at a cost of Rs 240 crore, and a new air-conditioned velodrome cost a further Rs 150 crore.

Infrastructure and facilities

The complex has three main halls: a gymnastic hall with 15,000 fixed seats, a wooden floor and air-conditioning; a wrestling hall with 5,000 fixed seats; and the Indira Gandhi Indoor Cycling Velodrome with 3,000 fixed seats. Other published figures give the main arena’s capacity as 14,348 or 14,349, lower than the operator’s 15,000 for the same hall. The sports hostel has 140 beds.

Sports offered are badminton, basketball, boxing, cricket, cycling, gymnastics, judo, table tennis, wushu, wrestling and sepak takraw. Other facilities are a recreational track for cycling and walking, a fitness centre, billiards and snooker tables, a sauna and massage centre, and a medical centre with sports medicine, rehabilitation and physiotherapy units.

Events hosted

The arena has hosted the International Premier Tennis League (6 to 8 December 2014), WWE live events (January 2016 and December 2017) and the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships (16 to 26 March 2023). The complex’s velodrome and the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall were also 2010 Commonwealth Games venues.

In January 2026 the Yonex Sunrise India Open was held in the arena. Cleanliness, hygiene and animal-control problems were raised during the event, and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) then confirmed that the venue met its field-of-play requirements for the World Championships. Before the championships, held from 17 to 23 August 2026, the Badminton Association of India and SAI closed off ventilation openings, applied a non-toxic gel around the ducting to deter birds, installed machines that imitate predatory bird calls, fitted a double-door entry system, treated the roof and expansion joints, replaced or refinished seating and renovated 80 toilets across the campus.

Timings and operational hours

Opening hours, closing days and coaching timings for the complex are not published. Access is for SAI trainees, national camps and scheduled events. Ask the administrator’s office on 011-23392729 about current arrangements.

Charges, membership and booking

The complex can be booked through SAI’s online stadia booking system, but no fees, membership categories or hire rates are published for it. Event ticket prices are set by organisers. Because no tariff is published, none is given here.

Urban and ecosystem context

The complex is a national training and competition base rather than a community pay-and-play centre. It serves national campers and elite sportspersons, with a hostel and a sports medicine centre on site. It also stages national and international events in several indoor sports, from badminton and boxing to cycling and wrestling. The 2026 upgrade work prepared the venue for a world championship, although figures for use by local clubs or schools are not published.

Details were checked in November 2026. Confirm contact details and access with the complex administrator before visiting.

Sources

• Indira Gandhi Sports Complex – Sports Authority of India
• Indira Gandhi Arena – Wikipedia
• BWF statement on conditions at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex – Badminton World Federation, 15 January 2026
• BAI, SAI give IG Stadium major facelift ahead of BWF World Championships – ThePrint (PTI), 10 August 2026
• From pigeons to primates: the complete transformation of IGI Stadium for the BWF World Championships – Outlook India, August 2026