Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 10, 2026, accompanied by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, for an event celebrating India-Australia sporting ties. The visit was part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and underscored the growing importance of sports, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people ties as pillars of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
At the event, the two Prime Ministers jointly released the India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap, which aims to promote cooperation in sports training and capacity building, sports science and technology, and sports industry and investment. The roadmap also includes plans to organize an India-Australia Youth Sports Festival. 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 also congratulated Australia for winning the women’s cricket World Cup.
The leaders noted that India and Australia are entering a significant decade in international sports, with India hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and Australia hosting the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. These developments were emphasized as creating natural opportunities for closer bilateral cooperation in sports and associated industries. During the visit, the leaders interacted with young athletes participating in exhibition games of Kabbadi, Australian Football, and Cricket. Australian sporting legends Steve Waugh and Lisa Sthalekar were also present at the event.
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