Gandhinagar, Jan 21 (IANS) Philip Green, High Commissioner (HC) of Australia to India, paid a courtesy visit to Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar, with discussions focusing on sports infrastructure, Olympic preparedness, higher education and renewable energy cooperation.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister highlighted Gujarat’s readiness to leverage Australia’s experience in the sustainable, long-term use of Olympic infrastructure, including housing and sports facilities.

Referring to preparations for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, the two sides discussed Australia’s approach to infrastructure planning and post-Games utilisation.

High Commissioner Green explained how facilities developed for the Brisbane Olympics are planned to be repurposed after the event, including conversion into public housing and student accommodation, while sports venues would be used for multiple events and community activities.

He invited a high-level delegation from Gujarat to visit Brisbane to review Olympic preparations firsthand and expressed Australia’s interest in partnering with Gujarat on advanced sports training, particularly in swimming, para-athletics and high-performance centres.

The Chief Minister welcomed the proposal and said collaboration with Australia would help Gujarat’s athletes access world-class training systems, strengthening their performance prospects ahead of the 2036 Olympic Games.

The High Commissioner also briefed the Chief Minister on plans to establish a comprehensive sports ecosystem through Deakin University at GIFT City. The proposed initiative aims to go beyond a conventional centre of excellence by integrating sports science, sports research and sports business programmes.

He also invited the Chief Minister to attend Deakin University’s first convocation ceremony, scheduled for March 2026.

The Chief Minister noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India-Australia relations have strengthened steadily, with Australia’s participation in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit contributing to Gujarat’s growth across sectors such as gems and jewellery, textiles and apparel, life sciences and pharmaceuticals.

Commending Gujarat’s rapid progress in renewable energy, High Commissioner Green expressed Australia’s willingness to extend its expertise to support the state’s renewable energy transition.

He also praised the solar rooftop training facilities at Pandit Deendayal Energy University, which have the capacity to train 2,000 participants, highlighting the increasing participation of women in these programmes.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary Ajay Kumar, Managing Director of iNDEXTb Keyur Sampat, and other senior officials.

–IANS

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