India, New Zealand Plan Sports Partnership as Ties Mark 100 Years

• India and New Zealand discuss expanding sports cooperation in New Delhi
• 2026 marks 100 years of sporting ties between the two countries
• Priority sports identified including rugby, rowing, athletics and cycling
• Joint Working Group to oversee new cooperation initiatives

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th March: India and New Zealand on Monday discussed expanding bilateral cooperation in sports as the two countries prepare to mark 100 years of sporting ties in 2026.

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level ministerial meeting with a visiting New Zealand sports delegation in New Delhi to explore new avenues for strengthening collaboration between the sporting ecosystems of both countries.

The year 2026 marks the centenary of sports relations between India and New Zealand, tracing back to the historic 1926 Indian Army hockey tour to New Zealand, which was one of the earliest major sporting exchanges between the two nations.

The Indian delegation included Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary (Sports), along with senior officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Sports Authority of India, the Indian Olympic Association and representatives from national sports federations.

Earlier in the day, Rao also led a delegation-level meeting with New Zealand officials to discuss expanding cooperation across various sporting disciplines.

Both sides identified several priority sports for collaboration, including rugby, rowing, canoeing, sailing, athletics and cycling.

The New Zealand delegation was led by Chris Bishop, Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation, and included Patrick John Rata, New Zealand High Commissioner to India, former international cricketer Ross Taylor, Raelene Castle, CEO of Sport New Zealand, and representatives from Hockey New Zealand, Athletics New Zealand and Paralympics New Zealand.

The discussions focused on launching the India–New Zealand Centenary Sports Cooperation Programme 2026, a year-long initiative aimed at commemorating the historic milestone while expanding cooperation in sports development, high-performance training, innovation and people-to-people engagement.

Both sides also explored organising sports and cultural exchange programmes, including a proposed India–New Zealand Sports and Culture Week, which could be hosted across cities in both countries and involve athletes, coaches and local communities.

Another key area of discussion was strengthening collaboration in high-performance sports, with proposals for joint training camps, coaching exchanges and knowledge sharing in areas such as sports science, analytics and athlete performance systems.

Officials also discussed the possibility of integrating New Zealand’s coach development framework into the curriculum of the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala.

To ensure effective implementation of the proposed initiatives, both countries agreed to establish a Joint Working Group that will coordinate the cooperation framework, nominate nodal officers and conduct periodic reviews.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and New Zealand to deepen sports diplomacy and translate the centenary partnership into tangible outcomes for athletes, coaches and sporting institutions in both countries.