Vijay announces Olympic City in Chennai, motorsports hub to host F1 races

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday announced plans to establish a world-class Tamil Nadu Olympic City and a dedicated Motorsports City in Chennai, giving the state a major push towards hosting international sporting events, including Formula 1 races. Vijay made the announcements in the Tamil Nadu Assembly under Rule 110. The proposed Olympic City will be developed by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and will bring training, competition and athlete-support infrastructure under one integrated sports hub. It will feature world-class sports arenas, advanced sporting equipment, a High Performance Training Centre and dedicated Sports Science and Sports Medicine centres. Accommodation facilities for athletes and coaches will also be developed as part of the project. The government expects the facility to strengthen Tamil Nadu's athlete-development ecosystem and help sportspersons from the state compete for more medals at the Olympics and other international competitions. Alongside the Olympic City, Vijay announced a dedicated Motorsports City in Chennai with international-standard racing infrastructure. The facility is envisaged to host races across Formula categories, including Formula 1, while positioning Chennai as a potential destination for major global motorsport events. The announcement comes as the Centre and Indian motorsport authorities step up efforts to bring major racing championships back to the country. In June, the Union Sports Ministry moved to constitute a task force to study the infrastructure, economic and operational requirements for hosting international motorsport events, with an ambition to bring Formula 1 back to India by 2028. Separately, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India President Arindam Ghosh has said efforts are underway to bring Formula 1 back by 2030, while MotoGP and a round of the World Rally Championship are being targeted for 2028. India previously hosted Formula 1 races at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida from 2011 to 2013. Chennai's proposed motorsports hub could now add another major venue to India's plans to return to the international racing calendar.