Mandaviya: India to work with Australia, NZ on sports
Synopsis
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has shared PM Narendra Modi's statement that India will collaborate with Australia and New Zealand on the sports industry and athlete training, signalling a new trilateral sports cooperation framework in the Indo-Pacific.
Key Takeaways
PM Modi announced that India will work jointly with Australia and New Zealand on the sports industry and athlete training.
The statement was shared by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on 17 July 2026 .
The cooperation covers multiple areas including the sports industry and athlete training , with scope for further domains.
Both Australia and New Zealand already have bilateral sports cooperation arrangements with India ; this signals a trilateral upgrade.
The Khelo India scheme, launched in 2017 , provides the domestic foundation for such international sports tie-ups.
A formal trilateral working group or MoU on training academies and sports industry partnerships is anticipated as a follow-up step.
Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday, 17 July 2026 shared a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing that India will collaborate with Australia and New Zealand on the sports industry and athlete training, among other areas of cooperation.
Context
Minister Mandaviya quoted PM Modi directly, posting: 'भारत, ऑस्ट्रेलिया और न्यूजीलैंड के साथ मिलकर Sports Industry, खिलाड़ियों की ट्रेनिंग..ऐसे अनेक मामलों में साथ मिलकर काम करेगा' — meaning, 'India, together with Australia and New Zealand, will work jointly on the sports industry, athlete training, and many such matters.' The post, shared with a video, signals a trilateral intent to deepen sports ties across the Indo-Pacific region.
Policy Backdrop
India has maintained bilateral sports cooperation agreements with both Australia and New Zealand, covering coaching exchanges, event hosting, and athlete development programmes. The Khelo India scheme, launched in 2017, laid the domestic foundation for such international tie-ups by building grassroots infrastructure and identifying elite talent pipelines. Expanding these bilateral arrangements into a trilateral framework represents a natural progression of India's sports diplomacy in the region.
India has increasingly treated sports as a soft-power instrument in its Indo-Pacific engagement strategy. Cooperation on the 'sports industry' — a phrase that encompasses equipment manufacturing, event management, sports technology, and broadcasting — suggests the ambition extends beyond athlete training into economic and commercial dimensions of the sector.
Stakeholders and Impact
Indian athletes stand to benefit most directly, with potential access to world-class training facilities and coaching expertise in Australia and New Zealand, both of which have established high-performance sporting ecosystems. The domestic sports industry — including manufacturers, technology firms, and event organisers — could gain new market access and partnership opportunities through such a framework.
For Australia and New Zealand, deeper engagement with India's large and fast-growing sports market offers significant commercial and diplomatic returns. The trilateral structure also reinforces people-to-people connectivity among three Commonwealth-linked democracies.
What's Next
Observers will watch for the formation of a trilateral sports working group or the signing of a formal memorandum of understanding covering training academies, industry partnerships, and joint event hosting. Any such institutional mechanism would give concrete shape to the cooperation outlined by PM Modi. Minister Mandaviya's ministry is expected to lead implementation on the Indian side, coordinating with counterpart agencies in Canberra and Wellington.
If formalised, this trilateral framework could serve as a template for India's broader sports diplomacy, potentially drawing in other Indo-Pacific partners and accelerating the country's ambitions ahead of future international sporting events.
Point of View
Complementing security and trade dialogues with like-minded democracies. By extending existing bilateral sports MoUs into a three-way framework, New Delhi signals that sports diplomacy is now a structured foreign-policy instrument rather than an ad-hoc gesture. For Minister Mandaviya, amplifying this announcement reinforces his ministry's role at the intersection of domestic athlete development and international engagement. The real test will be whether this political statement translates into funded, time-bound institutional mechanisms — a challenge that has historically slowed India's sports cooperation agreements.
NationPress
17 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did PM Modi say about India's sports cooperation with Australia and New Zealand?
PM Modi announced that India will work jointly with Australia and New Zealand on the sports industry, athlete training, and several other related areas, as shared by Sports Minister Mandaviya on 17 July 2026.
What is the Khelo India scheme and how does it relate to this announcement?
Khelo India is a government scheme launched in 2017 to build India's domestic sports ecosystem and enable international training partnerships; it provides the policy foundation for tie-ups like the one announced with Australia and New Zealand.
How will Indian athletes benefit from the India-Australia-New Zealand sports partnership?
Indian athletes could gain access to high-performance training facilities, specialised coaching, and competitive exposure in Australia and New Zealand, both of which have well-established elite sports programmes.
What is India's sports industry cooperation with Australia and New Zealand about?
Beyond athlete training, the cooperation is expected to cover the broader sports industry, including equipment, technology, event management, and commercial partnerships between the three countries.
Who is Mansukh Mandaviya and what is his role in Indian sports?
Mansukh Mandaviya is India's Union Minister of Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports, responsible for national sports policy, athlete welfare, and international sports cooperation.
