Goa a strong destination for global sporting events: Sawant

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant is keen to position Goa as a “strong destination for global sporting events” and will back moves to organise high-profile motorsports championships in the state.

Goa recently hosted Round 4 of Indian Racing Festival (IRF), a Formula 4 event, and the organisers are now planning Formula 3 championship for the first time later this year, a move that enjoys the backing of the state govt.


“We will continue strengthening motorsport infrastructure and opportunities for our youth, while positioning Goa as a strong destination for global sporting events,” Sawant said after visiting the Yas Marina Circuit, a F1 facility in Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday. “With Goa successfully hosting Formula 4, this visit offered valuable insights into track operations, safety systems, fan experience, and the overall standards needed to run high-quality international motorsport events.”

Sawant said Goa hosted Formula 4 last week and this was the first step towards hosting bigger and better events.

“Formula 1 destinations are not created overnight. Formula 4 is globally recognised as the entry level single-seater category and the first formal step in the racing ladder to Formula 1. Hosting Formula 4 allows the destination to demonstrate its capability without the scale and cost of Formula 1.

“We can steadily race up to the mark of Formula 1. Every major city that hosts Formula 1 such as Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Tokyo, Las Vegas, they have built great infrastructure. Our objective is to position Goa as a viable future Formula One destination, by following the same step-by-step pathway adopted by successful host cities,” said Sawant.

Racing Promotions launched the Indian Racing Festival and have also acquired the rights to launch F3 in India. The Racing Festival, now in its fourth edition, has seen steady progress and added another new venue to its growing list with the Goa street circuit at Mopa.