India and Australia on Friday unveiled the India–Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration, a comprehensive framework aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation across sports through capacity building, sports science, major sporting events, industry partnerships and women’s participation. The roadmap, launched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan, builds on the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Sports and aligns with both countries’ preparations for a decade of major international sporting events, including the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The roadmap outlines practical initiatives to establish high-performance sports centres, expand coach education, promote Para sports, physical education exchanges and yoga, while facilitating two-way exchanges of coaches and experts. Australia will support the development of Indian coaches through specialised high-performance programmes, and scholarship-based training opportunities for talented Indian athletes will also be explored. It further encourages joint research by Indian and Australian universities on athlete performance, injury prevention, sports nutrition, wearable technologies, recovery techniques and Para sports, alongside enhanced cooperation on anti-doping through engagement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Both countries will exchange best practices in hosting major sporting events, organise exhibition matches and youth competitions, and explore reciprocal arrangements for sporting facilities ahead of international tournaments. The roadmap also welcomes the inaugural Big Bash League (BBL) match in Chennai in December 2026 and supports continued collaboration between Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to host annual BBL matches in India. It also seeks to boost cooperation in sports equipment manufacturing, sports technology, media, broadcasting, event management and sports start-ups, while expanding India’s sports goods exports to Australia. A dedicated Women in Sports Partnership will promote women’s leadership, participation and high-performance sport through bilateral tournaments, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building initiatives.
Speaking at the MCG, Prime Minister Modi described sports as a powerful force for strengthening people-to-people ties and said the roadmap would diversify and deepen the India–Australia sporting partnership. He also highlighted plans for an India–Australia Youth Sports Festival and interacted with young athletes participating in exhibition matches of Kabaddi, Australian Rules Football and cricket. The visit underscored the growing sporting relationship between the two countries and reaffirmed their shared commitment to fostering long-term cooperation, sporting excellence and successful hosting of future international events.
