Sports delegates discover the changing face of Indian sport
In May, the Foundation led a group of six Kiwi sports leaders to India to learn about the country's rapidly evolving sports sector, build connections, and explore opportunities to strengthen the longstanding sporting ties between the two countries. The group met with sports leaders and organisations in Mumbai and Amdavad, gaining firsthand insight into how India is using sport to showcase itself on the world stage. In this article the Foundation's sports programme manager Kirsty Sharp reflects on the trip and how sports are being delivered in the world's most populous nation.
Kirsty: "[The delegates entered] every room with curiosity, openness, and a genuine desire to understand how we might strengthen this relationship into the future."
India has long been a nation of passionate sports fans, but after visiting Mumbai and Amdavad (Ahmedabad), I left with the sense that something even bigger is on the horizon. India is not just a country that loves sport; it is becoming a country that is investing in sport with real intent, ambition, and speed.
This year marks 100 years of sporting connection between New Zealand and India. In 1926, the Indian Army hockey team spent two months touring and playing in New Zealand.
A century on, I had the privilege of leading the Foundation’s first sports delegation to Mumbai and Amdavad to observe, learn about, and engage with India’s sports ecosystem, with the intention of helping to strengthen the foundations for the next 100 years.
Sport has played a significant role in shaping India’s national identity, beginning with the success of the men’s Olympic hockey team. Then, in 1983, everything changed. Led by Kapil Dev, the Indian cricket team, widely seen as participants rather than contenders, won the One Day World Cup in England. When India hosted the tournament in 1987, it signalled the rise of a new global sporting superpower: India’s passionate cricket fan base.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modhi with the Indian women's cricket team ahead of the 2025 Cricket World Cup
More than 40 years later, India is preparing for a new global chapter in sport. Having seen other countries across Asia successfully host major sporting events and excel in sports where they were not traditionally expected to succeed, both the government and the private sector are determined to position India as a world-class host and a serious sporting contender.
The launch of the National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025, with its five key pillars aimed at improving educational, social, and economic outcomes, alongside confirmation that Amdavad will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, are cornerstones of this renewed emphasis on sport and of India’s ambition to become a major force in both hosting global events and performing on the world stage.
The sports leaders hearing from the Sports Authority of Gujarat about to the world-class, multi-sport facilities the state is building host major events
By 2047, when India marks 100 years of independence, the country is determined to be recognised as a developed nation with its sporting achievements to be one of the chapters in its centenary story.
And what we saw was both impressive and energising. This was not simply a visit to understand what exists today; it was an opportunity to glimpse what India’s sporting future could look like.
What became clearer to me throughout the visit was the scale and complexity of the opportunity. India is the seventh-largest country in the world and the most populous, with around 1.47 billion people.
It is made up of 28 states and 8 union territories, each responsible for governing its own region. That creates a diverse and decentralised landscape, but it also means there is enormous potential for sport to grow in different ways across the country.
That growth is already being supported from multiple directions.
The increased focus on sport is being driven in part by the government, the sporting federations, as well as by the private sector through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding. Collectively, these forces are helping to create stronger pathways for participation, talent development, and performance.
While cricket still dominates Indian sport, other sports such as badminton and basketball are on the rise
Cricket may still be front and centre, but it is clearly no longer the only game in town.
We saw strong signs that athletics, fencing, badminton, volleyball, basketball, and football are all on the rise.
There is growing energy around a range of sports, and with that comes a growing need for expertise, systems, and international partnerships. There are real opportunities for international knowledge and expertise to contribute to this growth.
What surprised me most was the breadth of talent development initiatives already underway.
Across the places we visited, there was clear evidence of serious thought being given to how young athletes are identified and developed.
Equally impressive were the education opportunities being established to strengthen the wider sports ecosystem, developing personnel and expertise not just for athletes, but also for coaches, administrators, media professionals, and future leaders in the sector.
The facilities were another standout. In some cases, it was the quality that impressed; in others, it was the speed at which new infrastructure could be delivered.
Then there were the moments that genuinely challenged expectations: inline skating in Amdavad.
It was a reminder not to underestimate either the diversity of sport in India or the appetite to embrace new possibilities.
I was also struck by how well-informed people were about New Zealand’s sporting success beyond cricket.
The delegates learning about the future of Indian sport at the Jio Institute in Mumbai
A meeting with tertiary students from the Jio Institute was one of the highlights of the visit.
They asked thoughtful, high-quality questions about our system and what India could do better. That kind of engagement matters. It signals a generation that wants not only to participate in sport, but to shape its future.
I am extremely grateful to the six delegates who entered every room with curiosity, openness, and a genuine desire to understand how we might strengthen this relationship into the future. I am equally grateful to those who hosted us and so generously embraced the opportunity for knowledge exchange.
The group watching the Mumbai Mallakhamb Club demonstrate the acrobatic skills of Mallakhamb, an ancient Indian discipline combining strength, agility, and balance.
Although our delegation has now returned to Aotearoa New Zealand, the connections and conversations continue.
Women in Sport India and New Zealand are committed to building on this foundation and continuing to grow their respective national programmes through shared experiences.
Athletics New Zealand has already begun conversations that will help it prepare for and attend the 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
More broadly, the delegation will carry these insights forward as they prepare for future campaigns and events leading up to the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Amdavad.
India is a vast country with an equally vast talent pool, and its people already operate in highly competitive environments every day. If investment, talent development, and national ambition can be aligned, India’s sports fans will have far more to celebrate in the years ahead.
Chak De! India.
The Foundation's Sports Programme provides New Zealand sportspeople and administrators opportunities to grow more knowledgeable, connected and confident with Asia.
The Foundation's Sport Singapore internship is an opportunity for young New Zealanders to intern for three months at Singapore's lead agency tasked with developing sports culture.
