BRICS sports ministers adopted a joint declaration by consensus at their meeting in Visakhapatnam on August 23, setting out plans for deeper cooperation in sports technology, manufacturing, athlete development and traditional games during India’s BRICS chairship in 2026.
The meeting brought together ministers and senior representatives from member countries to discuss sports development and practical forms of cooperation. The declaration reaffirmed a commitment to dialogue, mutual respect and inclusion, while India proposed initiatives intended to convert broad political support into exchanges, events and institutional collaboration.
Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya called for a BRICS sporting partnership that would extend beyond declarations. He identified athlete and coach exchanges, joint competitions and the sharing of sports-science knowledge as areas where participating countries could create regular platforms for cooperation.
Three initiatives advanced under India’s chairship formed the main operational agenda. A BRICS Working Group on Sports Technology is intended to bring together expertise in sports science, athlete performance, governance, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and innovation. India is expected to contribute specialists across these domains.
India’s proposal for a BRICS Sports Manufacturing Conclave received broad support. Udaipur in Rajasthan has been proposed as the host city for the first edition in November 2026. The event is planned to connect manufacturers, exporters, investors, technology providers, small and medium enterprises, startups and research institutions.
The proposed conclave will focus on technology and innovation, quality standards, trade among BRICS members and more resilient supply chains. The government is also preparing a scheme to promote sports-goods manufacturing clusters, aimed at encouraging investment and building domestic production for international markets.
A third initiative, the BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Sports Demonstration Games, is proposed for Ahmedabad on October 12 and 13. Conceived as a non-competitive cultural event, the games would allow member countries to present traditional sports while promoting cultural exchange and people-to-people ties.
Participation in the demonstration games is to be voluntary and guided by cultural-sensitivity and mutual-respect frameworks. The approach recognises that indigenous sports may carry customs, community knowledge and cultural meanings that require careful presentation rather than treatment solely as competition.
The meeting also emphasised inclusion through para-sport and wider opportunities for women. Delegations linked sporting cooperation with youth development, healthy lifestyles and international understanding. A friendship cycling event held in Visakhapatnam ahead of the formal proceedings included representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and South Africa.
The next measure of progress will be whether the working group, proposed conclave and demonstration games move forward on schedule and produce sustained exchanges. The joint declaration provides a framework; implementation will depend on continued coordination among member governments, sporting bodies, researchers and industry.
