India to host its first Formula One race in 2010

[FORMULA ONE] NEW DELHI - India will host its first Formula One race in 2010, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced on Monday.

 The IOA president, Suresh Kalmadi, told reporters in New Delhi that Hermann Tilke, chief architect for the F1 circuits, had inspected various sites in an aerial survey during his visit to the Indian capital recently.

 Tilke had selected two sites: Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Sohna in Haryana states, both suburbs of New Delhi. The IOA, the promoter of the event, will choose between the shortlisted venues, Kalmadi added.

 The IOA chief said he held extensive discussions in connection with the race with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone in London last week.

 "It has been decided that the first Formula One world championship will be held in the national capital region Delhi in 2010," Kalmadi said adding that Tilke would be visiting Delhi again to make a master plan for the circuit.

 He said F1 had handed over two draft contracts, one a race promotion contract and the second, a circuit rights agreement.

 In June this year, Kalmadi had said that F1 may come to the country by 2009. He had said that a deal was signed with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for a Formula One Grand Prix in the Indian capital.

 Asked why New Delhi was chosen as the venue in India, Kalmadi said that the city was scheduled to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

 "So we will have international airport, hotels and other infrastructure ready for this," Kalmadi had said then.

 Asia already hosts four F1 races - in Malaysia, Bahrain, Japan and China, with Abu Dhabi scheduled to host one from 2009.

DPA