New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday chaired a high-level ministerial meeting with New Zealand sports delegation in New Delhi to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in sports and strengthening collaboration between the sporting ecosystems of the two countries.

The year 2026 marks 100 years of sporting ties between India and New Zealand, tracing back to the historic 1926 Indian Army hockey tour to New Zealand, one of the earliest major sporting engagements between the two nations. Building on this legacy, both countries explored new initiatives to deepen cooperation and strengthen sports diplomacy, according to a press release.

'Had a wonderful meeting with Mr. Chris Bishop, Associate Minister of Sport and Recreation of New Zealand, today. We discussed ways to expand our bilateral sports cooperation. We agreed that sports can be the linchpin for strengthening the bond between our two peoples. (And of course, we also discussed the Men's T20 final.),' Mandaviya wrote in an X post.

The Indian delegation 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 expanding bilateral sports cooperation. The delegations identified priority sports for collaboration, including rugby, rowing, canoeing, sailing, athletics and cycling.

The New Zealand delegation was led by Chris Bishop, Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation, and included Patrick John Rata, New Zealand High Commissioner to India, former international cricketer Ross Taylor, Raelene Castle, CEO 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 designed to commemorate the centenary of sporting ties and expand collaboration in sports development, high-performance training, innovation and people-to-people engagement.

Both sides 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 while celebrating indigenous sporting traditions.

A key focus of the meeting was strengthening collaboration in high-performance sports through joint training camps, coaching exchanges and knowledge sharing in sports science, analytics and athlete performance systems. The discussions also explored integrating New Zealand's coach development framework into the curriculum of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala.

Both countries agreed to constitute a Joint Working Group to oversee implementation of the cooperation framework, nominate nodal officers and establish a monitoring mechanism with periodic reviews.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and New Zealand to deepen sports cooperation and translate the centenary partnership into tangible outcomes for athletes, coaches and sporting ecosystems in both countries. (ANI)