The state of Victoria is known for its strong sporting culture backed by world-class infrastructure for a range of sports, and with Melbourne a host city for major global sporting events. It is therefore not a surprise that the Victorian Government has identified sport as a growth sector for bilateral trade and investment with India.
To assist the Victorian government in advancing partnerships in high performance sports development between states in India and the state of Victoria, the Australia India Institute was pleased to work on this important piece of research and analysis across both countries. In identifying promising partners for future high-performance sports collaboration, our team recognised the significance of the updated Victoria’s India Strategy which establishes an ambitious platform to strengthen connections and enhance economic cooperation between Victoria and India and the ongoing role the Victorian India diaspora play in sports participation and connections.
The prominence of sport in the bilateral relationship is well understood through the lens of team sports like cricket and hockey, and now contemplates intersections in Olympic and Paralympic sports as India moves towards a stated ambition of bidding to host the 2036 Summer Games.
The Report herein considers the important role of government and the private sector to engage all levels of participation from grassroots, community and club sport through to elite pathways for international Olympic and Paralympic level participation.
By analysing India’s sporting ecosystem development across five states (Delhi & National Capital Region, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana) and considering Victoria’s sporting institutions, administrative bodies, academia and community-based organisations in the sporting ecosystem, this Report highlights key areas for emerging collaboration and a range of findings contemplating partnership opportunities, funding mechanisms and the role of sports technology that can benefit Victorian and Indian stakeholders at a participant, community, business and institutional level.
As Victoria and India seek to realise their strategic growth agendas, this Report confirms the vital role sporting ecosystems play in engaging communities, providing pathways for participation of athletes of all levels and abilities, acting as a bridge to enhanced people-to-people relationships. We hope this Report will serve as a guide to accelerate Victoria-India partnerships and connections for mutual benefit for athletes aspiring to participate or compete at the highest sporting level.
