Sports has become one of the strongest links between India and Australia, connecting communities and creating fresh avenues for the two countries to work together. Building on the 2023 MoU on Cooperation in Sports, the two nations have now put together the India-Australia Roadmap for collaboration, a set of practical, forward-looking priorities meant to strengthen this part of the bilateral relationship.
A Decade of Major Events on the Horizon
The timing matters. With the 2030 Commonwealth Games coming to Ahmedabad, the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the calendar, and India eyeing a future Olympic and Paralympic bid of its own, the Roadmap identifies areas of cooperation that line up with what each country brings to the table, whether that’s shared priorities, capabilities, or resources.
Both governments say they’ll respect the differences in how sport is governed and how sporting ecosystems have developed in each country. They’re also acknowledging the role that sporting bodies, businesses, state-level governments, universities, and community groups already play in driving elite and grassroots sport, and they’ve committed to helping these institutions connect and build partnerships at every level. Implementation will stay pragmatic. Activities get prioritised based on available resources and how they line up with the timelines of major events, and cooperation will run through existing partnerships and flexible, demand-led arrangements, with resourcing worked out case by case.
Building Capacity, From Coaching to Classrooms
The Roadmap sets out several focus areas. The first is capacity building. This covers sharing best practices for setting up and running High-Performance Sports Centres in India, and treating Para sport as a key priority, drawing on Australian expertise in Para classification, coaching, and performance support, with room for Indian and Australian universities to link up where it makes sense.
There’s also a plan to build on Australia’s coach development models through two-way exchanges, sending Indian coaches and coach educators to Australia and Australian ones to India, using a Train the Trainer approach.
A physical education exchange programme may also be introduced, covering school, sports science, and community participation. And given the physical and mental health benefits of yoga, the two countries plan to work with World Yogasana, India’s yogasana sports federation, to share knowledge and encourage participation in yoga in Australia.
On top of this, the Australian Sports Commission will help build the capability of select Indian coaches through the India Australia High Performance Coach Development programme. And there’s an effort to work with non-government stakeholders, sporting organisations and universities, to get talented young Indian athletes into high-performance programs, funded by scholarships from the Government of India.
Research, Anti-Doping, and Shared Curriculums
The second focus area is collaborative sports science and technology research. The plan encourages joint research between Indian and Australian universities on athlete performance analytics, injury prevention, nutrition, wearable performance technology, recovery techniques, and Para sport, along with partnerships to co-develop sports curricula.
On the anti-doping side, Sport Integrity Australia and India’s National Anti-Doping Agency will keep contributing to international efforts, supporting WADA-led capacity building through the WADA Asia/Oceania Office and through representation on the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport groups.
Hosting Major Events
Third comes major sporting events. Australian states, territories, and national sporting organisations will exchange best practices on hosting large events with their Indian counterparts. There are also plans to explore exhibition matches and youth events that promote sports each country doesn’t traditionally follow, Kabaddi and Kho Kho in Australia, and Australian Football League and basketball in India.
The build-up to the Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Games will be used to set up formal, reciprocal arrangements between Indian and Australian sporting bodies, covering shared facilities, competitions, and support networks. And on cricket specifically, with the inaugural Big Bash League match set to be played in Chennai in December 2026, the Roadmap encourages Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India to work toward hosting BBL matches in India every year.
Growing the Sports Business Between the Two Countries
The fourth area is sports industry and investment. This builds on the Australia-funded Sports Industry Summit held in Mumbai in December 2026, aiming to get Indian and Australian companies working together on equipment manufacturing, media and broadcasting, event management, and start-ups.
The plan also includes information sessions to help Australian sports businesses enter the Indian market and vice versa, along with expanding India’s exports of goods to Australia and Australia’s exports of expertise in coaching, coach development, strength and conditioning, athlete wellbeing, nutrition, and psychology.
A Push for Women in Sport
The last focus area centres on women in sport. The Roadmap calls for joint initiatives promoting women’s leadership, health, high performance, and participation, including bilateral tournaments for women athletes. This draws on the Australian Sports Commission’s flagship programs and reflects a shared view that sport is a pathway to economic empowerment, leadership, health, and social inclusion for women in both countries.
Key Takeaway: The India–Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration, built on the 2023 MoU on Cooperation in Sports, provides a comprehensive framework to deepen bilateral cooperation across capacity building, sports science and technology, anti-doping, major sporting events, industry and investment, and women in sport.
With milestones such as the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the roadmap promotes collaboration in high-performance coaching, Para sports, research, athlete development, sports business, and knowledge exchange.
It also strengthens institutional partnerships between governments, sporting bodies, universities and the private sector, while encouraging greater participation in emerging sports, annual Big Bash League (BBL) matches in India, and initiatives that advance women’s leadership and inclusion, reinforcing sports as a key pillar of the India–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
M.C.Q.
Question 1: The recently announced India–Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration builds upon which earlier bilateral agreement?
- A. India–Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA)
- B. 2023 MoU on Cooperation in Sports
- C. Australia–India Education Partnership Agreement
- D. Australia–India Defence Cooperation MoU
Question 2: Under the India–Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration, India’s National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) will strengthen cooperation with which Australian organisation on anti-doping initiatives?
- A. Australian Olympic Committee
- B. Sport Integrity Australia
- C. Australian Institute of Sport
- D. Sports Australia
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