India, New Zealand explore sports cooperation as ties mark 100 years

India and New Zealand on Monday discussed expanding bilateral cooperation in sports as 2026 marks 100 years of sporting ties between the two countries.Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level ministerial meeting with a New Zealand sports delegation in New Delhi to explore ways to strengthen collaboration between the sporting ecosystems of both nations.
The centenary traces back to the historic 1926 Indian Army hockey tour to New Zealand, one of the earliest major sporting engagements between the two countries. Officials said the discussions focused on building new initiatives to deepen cooperation and promote sports diplomacy.The Indian side 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 led a delegation-level meeting with New Zealand officials to discuss areas of cooperation. Both sides identified priority sports for collaboration, including rugby, rowing, canoeing, sailing, athletics and cycling.The New Zealand delegation was led by Chris Bishop and included Patrick John Rata, High Commissioner of New Zealand to India, former international cricketer Ross Taylor, Raelene Castle, chief executive of Sport New Zealand, and representatives from Hockey New Zealand, Athletics New Zealand and Paralympics New Zealand.
The discussions focused on the India–New Zealand Centenary Sports Cooperation Programme 2026, a year-long initiative aimed at commemorating the centenary of sporting relations and expanding collaboration in sports development, high-performance training, innovation and people-to-people engagement.Both sides also discussed organising sports and cultural exchange initiatives, including a proposed India–New Zealand Sports and Culture Week to be hosted across cities in both countries, bringing together athletes, coaches and communities.
Officials also discussed strengthening collaboration in high-performance sports through joint training camps, coaching exchanges and knowledge sharing in sports science, analytics and athlete performance systems. The meeting explored integrating New Zealand’s coach development framework into the curriculum of the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala.India and New Zealand agreed to set up a Joint Working Group to oversee the implementation of the cooperation framework, nominate nodal officers and establish a monitoring mechanism with periodic reviews.Officials said the discussions reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to deepen sports cooperation and translate the centenary partnership into tangible outcomes for athletes, coaches and sporting ecosystems.