India-Australia launch Sports Partnership in Mumbai

India and Australia on Wednesday launched Sports partnership in Mumbai aimed at increasing cooperation in sports.

The Partnership, which was launched by the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel and the visiting Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in the presence of cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, will advance India - Australia cooperation in four areas - athlete and coach training and development, sport science, sport governance and integrity, and grassroots participation."

Speaking on the occasion, Sports Minister Vijay Goel said, "We have a lot to learn and share with Australia in the field of sports. The India-Australia Sports Partnership would facilitate exchange of athletes, coaches, technical officials, sports scientists between two countries."

He said India has started taking sports as a very important component of public health management as well as education. "We have launched a major grassroots programme - Khelo India for developing a sporting culture at grass-roots level. We are planning to introduce sports as a compulsory subject in schools" he said.

The Minister said that the National Sports Talent Identification and Development Portal would be launched shortly.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said under the new partnership Victoria University and the University of Canberra would work with India to assist in the establishment of a National Sports University similar to the Australian Institute of Sport.

Turnbull and Goel also met with some young girls from Mumbai's slums who are being taught to play sports by Apnalaya, an organization with which Sachin Tendulkar's mother-in-law Annabel Mehta is associated with. The Australian PM praised the work saying that sport builds up social capital.

Wrapping up his four day visit, Turnbull said India, which is evolving as an economic superpower, is now enormously important in the region. He said "my trip has been all about deepening more engaged collaboration between Australia and India in the fields of economics, sports, health, science and education."

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