The Hon. Mr. Anthony Albanese and the Premier of Victoria, the Hon. Jacinta Allan, for an event celebrating India-Australia sporting ties. Several Australian sporting legends, including Mr. Steve Waugh and Ms. Lisa Sthalekar, were present at the event. The visit underscored the growing importance of sports, cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties as pillars of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the unique role of sports in bringing people together and noted that the Roadmap will enable the two countries to diversify their sporting partnership. He congratulated Australia for winning the women's cricket World Cup. Prime Minister Modi noted that India and Australia were together entering a significant decade in international sports, with India hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and Australia hosting the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. He emphasized that these developments create natural opportunities for closer bilateral cooperation in sports and associated industries.
During the visit, the leaders interacted with young athletes participating in Kabbadi, Australian Football and Cricket exhibition games.
The visit showcased the vibrant sporting and people-to-people connections between India and Australia.
The roadmap creates four areas against which later progress can be measured: training and capacity building, sports science and technology, industry and investment, and the proposed youth sports festival. The 2030 Commonwealth Games in India and 2032 Brisbane Olympics give the two countries a defined period in which to turn those commitments into programmes.
The event also brought national and state leadership into the same programme: the Indian and Australian prime ministers attended with Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan. That matters for implementation because sporting cooperation can involve national federations, research institutions, event organisers and the state that will host the 2032 Olympics.
