BRICS Youth and Sports Ministers' Meetings kick off in Visakhapatnam on August 22
Synopsis
India's BRICS Chairship 2026 reaches a milestone as Visakhapatnam hosts back-to-back Youth and Sports Ministers' Meetings from 22 August, drawing all 11 member nations. The sessions are set to adopt a BRICS Youth Cooperation Framework and a Sports Joint Declaration — documents that could shape multilateral youth and sports policy across the Global South.
Key Takeaways
India is hosting the BRICS Youth Ministers' Meeting and BRICS Sports Ministers' Meeting in Visakhapatnam from 22–23 August 2026 .
Ministers and heads of delegation from all 11 BRICS member countries are attending.
Dr Mansukh Mandaviya , Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, is chairing both sessions.
The Youth meeting is expected to adopt the BRICS Youth Ministerial Joint Declaration and the BRICS Youth Cooperation Framework .
The Sports meeting on 23 August will conclude with the adoption of the BRICS Sports Joint Declaration .
India's BRICS Chairship 2026 theme is 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.'
India is hosting the BRICS Youth Ministers' Meeting and the BRICS Sports Ministers' Meeting in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, beginning Saturday, 22 August, under India's BRICS Chairship 2026. The two-day ministerial gatherings will bring together ministers and heads of delegation from all 11 BRICS member countries, with a focus on deepening cooperation in youth development and sports.
Who Is Leading the Meetings
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will chair both ministerial sessions. Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse will also participate in the proceedings. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said the engagements 'will build on the meetings and discussions held during India's BRICS Chairship and provide an important platform for advancing cooperation among BRICS member countries.'
BRICS Youth Ministers' Meeting: Key Agenda
The Youth Ministers' Meeting will centre on strengthening cooperation in youth development and empowerment across the bloc. Core agenda items include education, skill development, entrepreneurship, youth welfare, wellbeing, and sustainable development. The session is expected to conclude with the adoption of two landmark documents: the BRICS Youth Ministerial Joint Declaration and the BRICS Youth Cooperation Framework.
BRICS Sports Ministers' Meeting: What to Expect
The BRICS Sports Ministers' Meeting, scheduled for 23 August, will convene Sports Ministers and Heads of Delegation from Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The Sports Track under India's BRICS Chairship has focused on traditional and indigenous sports, sports technology, and sports manufacturing, according to official statements. The meeting will conclude with the adoption of the BRICS Sports Joint Declaration.
Programme Highlights and Cultural Events
Beyond the formal sessions, the programme will feature a BRICS Friendship Cycling Event, bilateral meetings between delegations, country statements from all 11 member nations, and cultural engagements. The multi-track format reflects the people-centric character of India's BRICS Chairship, which operates under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.'
India's BRICS Chairship 2026: Broader Context
India assumed the BRICS Chairship in 2026 at a moment when the grouping has expanded to 11 members, adding Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to the original five. The Visakhapatnam meetings are among the most substantive ministerial engagements of the Chairship year, signalling India's intent to shape the bloc's social and sporting agenda alongside its economic and geopolitical priorities. The outcomes — particularly the Youth Cooperation Framework — could set the terms for youth-focused multilateral programming across the Global South for years ahead.
Point of View
Increasingly diverse BRICS. With six new members added since 2024, aligning 11 nations on a Youth Cooperation Framework is genuinely complex, and the document's ambition will reveal how much consensus India has actually built. The choice of Visakhapatnam, a port city in Andhra Pradesh rather than a traditional diplomatic hub, is also a signal: India is deliberately decentralising its multilateral hosting, projecting regional depth. Whether the Joint Declarations produce binding commitments or remain aspirational text is the question mainstream coverage will likely skip.
NationPress
22 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the BRICS Youth and Sports Ministers' Meetings in Visakhapatnam?
They are two back-to-back ministerial gatherings hosted by India in Visakhapatnam on 22–23 August 2026 under India's BRICS Chairship 2026. The meetings bring together ministers from all 11 BRICS member countries to deepen cooperation in youth development and sports.
Which countries are participating in the Visakhapatnam BRICS meetings?
All 11 BRICS member countries are represented: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.
What outcomes are expected from the BRICS Youth Ministers' Meeting?
The meeting is expected to adopt the BRICS Youth Ministerial Joint Declaration and the BRICS Youth Cooperation Framework, covering education, skill development, entrepreneurship, youth welfare, and sustainable development.
What is India's theme for its BRICS Chairship 2026?
India's BRICS Chairship 2026 operates under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,' reflecting what the government describes as a people-centric and humanity-first approach.
What is the BRICS Friendship Cycling Event?
The BRICS Friendship Cycling Event is a cultural and sporting activity included in the programme alongside the formal ministerial sessions in Visakhapatnam, designed to promote goodwill among the participating delegations.
