MELBOURNE, July 10/INDIAN ABROAD NEWSDESK
Sport took centrestage in the Australia-India relationship as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), launching a new roadmap to deepen sporting cooperation and signalling a decade of collaboration ahead of two of the world’s biggest multi-sport events, according to India’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
According to India’s PMO, the two Prime Ministers watched local children showcase their skills in exhibition matches before launching the Australia-India Sports Collaboration Roadmap, which aims to strengthen exchanges between athletes, coaches, sporting organisations and high-performance institutions. The PMO said the initiative recognises sport as a key pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and a powerful way of strengthening people-to-people ties.
Prime Minister Modi said the roadmap comes at an important time, with India preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and Australia hosting the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032. According to India’s PMO, he said the two events provide an opportunity for Australia and India to work together in sports science, athlete development, coaching, infrastructure and sports administration over the coming decade.
Reuters reported that the visit to the MCG highlighted the growing role of sport in the bilateral relationship, complementing cooperation already underway in defence, trade, education and critical minerals. The news agency said cricket remains the strongest sporting link between the two countries, but the new roadmap broadens cooperation to include Olympic and Paralympic sports, high-performance programmes and grassroots participation.
According to India’s PMO, Prime Minister Modi also met former Australian Test captain Steve Waugh and presented him with a rare photograph from their earlier meeting when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The PMO said the gesture reflected the long-standing personal and sporting connections that have developed alongside the broader Australia-India relationship.
Speaking to Doordarshan News, Steve Waugh welcomed the stronger emphasis on sporting collaboration between the two countries. He said Australia and India already shared a strong relationship built on cricket but believed the partnership could now expand much further.
“We’ve got a really strong relationship, Australia and India. Cricket is obviously at the foundation of that, but with the Olympics getting more attention, India wants to be more involved, and we’ve got some expertise there. Hopefully we can share a lot of our expertise between the two countries and go forward together,” Waugh said.
Reflecting on nearly four decades of engagement with Indian cricket, Waugh said the sporting landscape had changed dramatically since his first tour of India in 1986.
“I first played against India in 1986… and now, 40 years later, there’s a Big Bash game being played in India. The IPL is the second-biggest franchise model in world sport. The landscape has changed, but these are two very powerful sporting nations with proud histories, and it’s great we’re working together more,” he said.
According to India’s PMO, Prime Minister Modi also met former Australian international Lisa Sthalekar, with discussions focusing on encouraging greater youth participation in sport, expanding women’s sport and sharing expertise in elite athlete development. The PMO said both governments see sport as an important avenue for bringing young Australians and Indians closer together.
ABC News has reported that cricket has long served as one of the strongest cultural links between Australia and India, with growing cooperation extending beyond the game into education, sports science and community engagement. The broadcaster said both countries are increasingly using sport as part of a broader strategy to strengthen bilateral ties.
According to India’s PMO, the Australia-India Sports Collaboration Roadmap will encourage closer cooperation between sporting bodies, coaches, researchers and athletes while supporting exchanges in sports medicine, high-performance training and event management. Reuters reported that with India and Australia set to host successive global sporting events, the partnership is expected to create new opportunities for athletes, administrators and sporting organisations in both countries, reinforcing sport as another defining pillar of the Australia-India relationship.
