The Biggest Opportunity in Sport May Be the Ecosystem Around It

A great sporting moment can capture a nation's attention. A breakthrough performance, a packed stadium or a major international event can inspire millions. But behind every moment that looks effortless is an entire ecosystem of people, businesses, technology and expertise working together.

There are coaches and sports scientists. Equipment manufacturers and technology developers. Event producers, broadcasters, universities, physiotherapists, nutrition specialists, venue operators, educators, sponsors and community organisations. There are entrepreneurs trying to solve problems, researchers developing new approaches, and young people looking for a way into an industry they love.

Sport does not run on athletes alone. It depends on all these people—and on how well they work together.

That is where an exciting opportunity is emerging between Australia and India.

Both countries have distinctive strengths, different experiences and much to learn from each other. With the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane, and a growing focus on international sports collaboration, there is a timely opportunity to build relationships that extend far beyond individual competitions.

The question is whether we can connect the people who have the ideas, capabilities and ambition to make those relationships count.

Sport is bigger than the game

For many people, sport means watching a favourite team, playing on the weekend or supporting an athlete. For others, it is a profession, a business, a research field or a way to strengthen communities.

All these perspectives matter.

Consider the journey behind a major sporting event. Facilities must be designed and maintained. Equipment must be manufactured, tested and delivered. Athletes need coaching, nutrition, rehabilitation and performance support. Events require technology, logistics, security, media, accommodation and skilled workforces. Participants need accessible facilities, safe environments and opportunities to develop.

Each of these needs creates a different kind of opportunity.

Australia has experience in areas such as high-performance sport, coaching, event delivery and sports science. India has a substantial manufacturing base, a large domestic market, a growing technology sector and a strong sporting culture. Both countries have entrepreneurs, researchers and organisations developing solutions to challenges across the industry.

The opportunity is not for one country to teach the other how to do everything. It is to identify where their capabilities complement each other—and build partnerships around genuine needs.

This approach is consistent with the India–Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration launched in July 2026. The roadmap identifies practical areas for cooperation, including sports technology, research, equipment manufacturing, event management, coaching, high-performance sport, women's participation and sports industry partnerships.

It is an important policy foundation. It is not a promise that every opportunity will be funded or every proposed partnership will proceed. Turning the roadmap into results will require organisations willing to work together, invest time and agree on clear objectives.

Read the official India–Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration.

The business opportunity is already broader than many realise

India's sports economy is not limited to professional leagues or elite athletes. It includes manufacturing, services, infrastructure, technology, training, events and the products people use to participate in sport.

A March 2026 report from India's public policy institution, NITI Aayog, examined how the country's sports equipment manufacturing sector could become more competitive internationally. The report highlighted India's existing manufacturing capabilities, the importance of quality and technology improvements, and opportunities to expand exports and build stronger relationships with global brands.

It also identified significant room for improvement. India's share of global sports equipment exports remains small relative to the scale of the international market, while the domestic industry faces challenges involving technology adoption, manufacturing scale, specialised materials and testing capability.

That combination matters: an established base of businesses and skills, alongside areas where investment, partnerships and new capabilities could make a difference.

For manufacturers, the opportunity may lie in developing better products, improving quality assurance, expanding distribution or working with international brands. For Australian businesses, it may mean finding reliable suppliers, exploring commercial partnerships or bringing specialist products and services to the Indian market.

For startups, the possibilities extend into performance analytics, wearable technology, athlete monitoring, digital platforms and tools that help sporting organisations operate more effectively.

These are opportunities to investigate, not guaranteed commercial outcomes. Each business will need to assess market demand, regulation, intellectual property, pricing, quality requirements and the practicalities of operating across two countries.

But there is a compelling reason to start those conversations now: the sports ecosystem is broad enough to create opportunities for businesses that may never own a team or organise a tournament.

Read NITI Aayog's report on India's sports equipment manufacturing sector.

Technology, research and the next generation of sport

Technology is changing how sport is played, managed and experienced.

Performance data can help coaches understand athletes' development. Wearable devices can support monitoring and training decisions. Research can improve approaches to injury prevention, recovery and nutrition. Digital platforms can help organisations communicate with participants, manage programmes and reach new audiences.

Yet technology is only useful when it addresses a real problem. A sophisticated tool that coaches cannot use, a platform that does not fit an organisation's workflow or a product without credible evidence of benefit will struggle to create lasting value.

This is where collaboration between universities, sporting bodies, researchers, businesses and practitioners becomes important.

Australia and India could explore joint research, product development, testing, professional exchanges and opportunities to apply knowledge in different sporting environments. The bilateral roadmap specifically identifies areas such as performance analytics, injury prevention, sports nutrition, wearable technology and recovery techniques.

There is also an opportunity for education and skills development. Sport needs people with expertise in data, business, communications, event operations, coaching, sports science and technology. Connecting education providers with industry can help ensure that training responds to actual needs.

For entrepreneurs, this creates a useful question: what problem in sport are you solving, and who in the other country could help you solve it better?

Major events create a window—but the work must last

Ahmedabad 2030 and Brisbane 2032 provide a natural focus for Australia–India engagement.

The Commonwealth Games and Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring attention to sporting infrastructure, event operations, accessibility, technology and the capabilities needed to deliver complex international events. The preparation surrounding them also creates reasons for businesses and institutions to explore collaboration.

Queensland's India Trade and Investment Strategy 2025–2028 identifies sports ecosystem and infrastructure as one of its priority areas for engagement with India. Meanwhile, the Queensland Government has outlined procurement opportunities associated with Brisbane 2032 across areas such as technology, equipment, venue services, temporary infrastructure and event operations.

Businesses interested in these opportunities should prepare early, understand the relevant procurement processes and assess whether their capabilities match genuine requirements. Being part of the wider ecosystem does not guarantee a contract, and organisations should not assume that international connections alone will secure business.

The bigger opportunity is to use these milestones to build capabilities and relationships that continue after the events.

A supplier may develop a new market. A university may establish a research relationship. A technology company may find a partner to test a product. An event professional may share knowledge with counterparts overseas. A community organisation may build a programme that brings people together through sport.

These outcomes will not all happen through a single initiative. They require the right people, credible partnerships and sustained effort.

Explore Queensland's India market profile and Brisbane 2032 procurement information.

An ecosystem must include more than the biggest players

When conversations about sports business begin, attention often goes to major leagues, large companies, elite athletes and government investment. They are important, but they are not the whole picture.

Smaller businesses, community clubs, coaches, emerging founders, women-led enterprises, researchers and organisations working with people with disability all have a role in the future of sport.

Some have specialist knowledge but limited access to international networks. Others have innovative ideas but need a partner with the expertise or infrastructure to develop them. Some are well established in one market and are trying to understand how to operate in another.

Bringing these people into the same conversation can reveal opportunities that are easy to miss when everyone works in isolation.

That requires an ecosystem built on trust, transparency and practical value. Introductions should be relevant. Opportunities should be described honestly. Commercial expectations should be clear. Organisations should be able to distinguish confirmed opportunities from early-stage ideas, and genuine commitments from general expressions of interest.

It also means recognising that collaboration is not always about doing business. It can involve sharing knowledge, supporting participation, improving professional skills or creating opportunities for people who have traditionally had fewer pathways into sport.

A healthy ecosystem creates room for all these forms of contribution.

An invitation to build something together

This is the thinking behind PlayForward Australia–India.

PlayForward is being developed with a simple ambition: to help connect the people, organisations, ideas and opportunities that can strengthen sporting relationships between Australia and India.

It is not about claiming to have every answer or promising outcomes that no platform can guarantee. It is about recognising that valuable work is already happening across both countries—and that more could be achieved if the right people were better connected.

A sports technology founder may be looking for a research partner. A manufacturer may want to understand a new market. A university may be interested in a joint project. A sporting organisation may want to exchange expertise. A coach, educator, community leader or business owner may have something valuable to contribute.

These people do not necessarily need the same thing. But they may benefit from being part of a wider conversation about where sport is heading and how Australia and India can work together.

PlayForward aims to help make those connections easier to explore. Its development will depend on the people who participate, the quality of the relationships built and the opportunities that can be pursued responsibly.

We welcome expressions of interest from sporting organisations, businesses, startups, manufacturers, technology companies, universities, researchers, coaches, athletes, educators, community organisations and others who see value in closer Australia–India collaboration.

Joining the conversation is not a promise of funding, a contract, a partnership or a guaranteed commercial result. It is an opportunity to share what you do, explain what you are looking for and explore whether there is a meaningful way to work together.

If you have expertise to share, an idea to develop, a challenge to solve or an interest in building connections between Australia and India, we want to hear from you.

Join PlayForward Australia–India. Bring your experience, your ideas and your ambition. Let's explore what becomes possible when the people shaping the future of sport stop working in isolation and start building connections that create value for both countries.

The next chapter of sport will be shaped by more than the people who take the field. It will also be shaped by the people who design, build, support, finance, research and grow the ecosystem around it.

There is room for more of us in that story. Let's build it together.