Radio Brisvaani
Melbourne, July 10 (Australia India News Newsdesk)
Australia and India have elevated sport as a key pillar of their growing bilateral relationship, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the Australia-India Sports Collaboration Roadmap during a visit to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), according to India’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
According to India’s PMO, the two Prime Ministers toured the historic venue, watched local children participate in exhibition cricket matches and met leading figures from Australia’s sporting community. The roadmap is designed to expand cooperation in coaching, athlete development, sports science, event management and high-performance programmes, while strengthening people-to-people links between the two countries.
Prime Minister Modi said the partnership comes at a significant time, with India preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and Australia set to welcome the world for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. According to India’s PMO, he said the two countries have an opportunity to work closely over the next decade by sharing expertise and building lasting sporting partnerships.
A highlight of the visit was Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with former Australian captain Steve Waugh, whom he presented with a rare photograph from their earlier meeting when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. According to India’s PMO, the exchange reflected the long-standing friendship forged through cricket and the broader Australia-India relationship.
In an interview with Doordarshan News, Steve Waugh said the sporting partnership between the two countries had enormous potential beyond cricket.
“Australia and India have a really strong relationship. Cricket is obviously at the foundation of that, but with the Olympics becoming more prominent, India wants to become more involved and Australia has expertise to share. Hopefully we can work together and move forward together,” Waugh said.
Reflecting on India’s sporting evolution, Waugh said he had witnessed remarkable changes since first touring the country in the 1980s.
“I first played against India in 1986. Forty years later, the landscape has changed dramatically. The IPL has become one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world, and India and Australia are now two proud sporting nations working more closely together,” he said.
Reuters reported that the launch of the sports roadmap broadens Australia-India cooperation beyond cricket to include Olympic disciplines, sports administration, sports medicine, coaching exchanges and youth development. The news agency said both governments see sport as an increasingly important avenue for strengthening bilateral engagement alongside trade, defence, education and technology.
According to India’s PMO, Prime Minister Modi also met former Australian international Lisa Sthalekar, with discussions focusing on encouraging greater youth participation in sport and expanding opportunities for collaboration in women’s sport and elite athlete development.
ABC News has reported that cricket remains one of the strongest cultural links between Australia and India, but cooperation has steadily expanded into wider sporting exchanges as both countries prepare to host major international events over the coming decade.
According to India’s PMO, the Australia-India Sports Collaboration Roadmap aims to create stronger institutional partnerships between sporting organisations, encourage athlete and coach exchanges and promote collaboration in sports innovation and high-performance training. Reuters reported that with India and Australia hosting successive global sporting events, the initiative is expected to leave a lasting legacy for athletes and sporting institutions in both countries while reinforcing the close ties between the two democracies.
