New Delhi: India and Australia have unveiled a comprehensive India-Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration, outlining a wide range of initiatives to deepen cooperation in sports, sports science, coaching, major sporting events and the sports industry.
The roadmap builds on the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Sports and aims to strengthen bilateral ties through practical and future-focused partnerships. It also takes into account major upcoming international events, including the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, and India’s ambition to host a future edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Under the roadmap, both countries will collaborate on capacity building, including the development of high-performance sports centres, coach education, sports science, physical education and Para sports. Australia will share its expertise in areas such as athlete classification, coaching, performance support and high-performance training.
The two countries will also encourage joint research between universities on athlete performance, injury prevention, sports nutrition, wearable technology, recovery techniques and anti-doping initiatives. Partnerships will also be promoted to co-develop sports curricula and strengthen academic collaboration.
In the area of major sporting events, India and Australia will exchange best practices for hosting international competitions and explore organising exhibition matches and youth tournaments in sports of mutual interest, including Kabaddi and Kho Kho in Australia and Australian Rules Football and basketball in India.
The roadmap also welcomes the first-ever Big Bash League (BBL) match in India, scheduled to be held in Chennai in December 2026, and encourages Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to work towards hosting BBL matches in India on an annual basis.
To promote economic cooperation, both nations will facilitate partnerships in sports equipment manufacturing, sports technology, broadcasting, event management and sports start-ups. The initiative also seeks to expand India’s exports of sports goods to Australia while increasing the export of Australian expertise in coaching, athlete welfare, nutrition, sports psychology and strength and conditioning.
A dedicated Women in Sports Partnership will also be launched to promote women’s leadership, participation, health and high-performance sports through joint initiatives and bilateral competitions.
The roadmap aims to create a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership by bringing together governments, sporting bodies, educational institutions, businesses and community organisations to strengthen sports cooperation between India and Australia.
