Australia and India: Building a Sporting Business Bridge from Chennai to Ahmedabad 2030 and Brisbane 2032

Sport has always had the power to bring Australia and India together. Now, both countries have an opportunity to build something more around that shared passion: a stronger sporting business relationship.

The foundations are in place. Australia brings experience across high-performance sport, coaching, sports science, major-event delivery and sporting technology. India has a large and diverse sporting market, growing sporting ambitions, established manufacturing capabilities and an enormous audience for sport. Neither country has everything it needs in every area. That is precisely why cooperation can be valuable.

In July 2026, the Australian and Indian prime ministers welcomed the India–Australia Roadmap for Sports Collaboration. The Roadmap recognises sport as a contributor to the bilateral relationship, including trade, tourism and investment. It identifies practical areas for cooperation in capability building, major sporting events, sports industry investment and women's sport.

The opportunity is to move from shared interest to useful connections between organisations, businesses and professionals.

Three milestones, one decade of opportunity

Three developments illustrate why the timing matters.

Chennai, December 2026: The opening match of Australia's men's Big Bash League is scheduled to take place in India. The Australian Government announced the match in July 2026 as part of a broader week-long G’Day Namaste festival of Australian cultural, business and sporting activities. The official Roadmap encourages Cricket Australia and the BCCI to work towards a commitment to hold BBL matches in India annually. That is an ambition to be pursued, not yet a confirmed permanent arrangement. <Link url="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/opening-match-big-bash-league-be-played-india-expanded-sporting-ties" title="Australian Government announcement"/>.

Ahmedabad, 2030: India will host the Commonwealth Games centenary edition in Ahmedabad, officially styled Amdavad 2030. Commonwealth Sport has confirmed the host city and indicated that 15–17 sports will feature. The full programme is still subject to finalisation. Preparation creates potential areas for collaboration in event operations, athlete support, accessibility, technology, facilities and professional expertise. <Link url="https://www.commonwealthsport.com/commonwealth-games/amdavad-2030" title="Commonwealth Sport — Amdavad 2030"/>.

Brisbane, 2032: Queensland will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Planning and procurement are already underway, with opportunities being released through official channels for relevant infrastructure, services and supplies. Businesses interested in participating must understand the actual requirements, tender processes and eligibility conditions; the Games do not guarantee contracts for Australian or Indian businesses. <Link url="https://www.tiq.qld.gov.au/why-queensland/brisbane-2032" title="Trade and Investment Queensland — Brisbane 2032"/>.

These milestones create a window for the two countries to share knowledge, explore commercial relationships and build capabilities that could be useful well beyond a single event.

The business opportunity around sport

A major sporting event is visible because of the athletes and spectators. Delivering it, however, involves a much larger network.

That network includes venue design and operations, sports equipment, broadcasting, digital platforms, transport, logistics, hospitality, workforce services, ticketing, event technology, accessibility, security and professional services. Beyond events, sporting organisations also need coaches, sports scientists, nutrition specialists, strength and conditioning professionals, athlete-welfare expertise and research partners.

The bilateral Roadmap specifically identifies a Sports Industry and Investment Platform as an area for cooperation. Its priorities include collaboration between Australian and Indian companies in:

• Sports equipment manufacturing.

• Sports media and broadcasting.

• Event management.

• Sports start-ups.

• Market information and business engagement in both directions.

• Indian sports-goods exports to Australia.

• Australian high-performance expertise, including coaching, strength and conditioning, athlete wellbeing, nutrition and psychology.

The Roadmap also identifies building on the Australia-funded Sports Industry Summit scheduled for Mumbai in December 2026. The stated purpose is to promote collaboration between companies in the two countries. <Link url="https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/india/india-australia-roadmap-sports-collaboration" title="Read the official Roadmap"/>.

This is an important distinction: the business opportunity is not limited to companies that already operate major sporting events. A specialist manufacturer, software company, university research team or small event-services business may have relevant capabilities too.

But potential is not the same as a sale. A business still needs to establish demand, understand local regulations, demonstrate its capability and identify an appropriate route to market. The value of a business platform is to help people investigate those questions and find relevant counterparts — not to promise outcomes.

Building capability, not just infrastructure

Sporting success depends on people and systems as much as facilities.

The Roadmap calls for collaboration on establishing and operating high-performance sports centres in India, with a focus on priority sports. It also identifies coach development, two-way exchanges for coaches and coach educators, university partnerships to develop sports curricula, and opportunities for collaboration in sports science and technology.

Para sport is another explicit priority. The Roadmap identifies Australian expertise in classification, coaching and performance support, including potential links between Australian and Indian universities.

These priorities create several possible forms of cooperation: a university might explore a research partnership; a sporting organisation might identify a coach-development exchange; or a technology business might investigate whether its tools address a genuine need in another country's sporting system.

Each requires a clear purpose, appropriate partners and practical arrangements. The Roadmap does not mean every proposed exchange is already funded or operational. It does, however, establish an official framework for exploring these areas.

For businesses and institutions, this is an opportunity to think beyond selling a product. Knowledge transfer, professional education, research and long-term capability development can also create value.

Women in sport must be part of the opportunity

A stronger sporting relationship should create opportunities for women as athletes, coaches, leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs and participants.

The Roadmap identifies a dedicated Women in Sports Partnership. It calls for joint initiatives promoting women's leadership, health, high performance and participation, including bilateral tournaments for women athletes. It also points to the Australian Sports Commission's programmes as a potential source of experience and learning.

This is significant because women's sport involves more than competitions. It also requires coaching pathways, suitable facilities, performance support, media visibility, leadership opportunities and environments where women and girls can participate safely and meaningfully.

Businesses have a role to play too. Depending on the need and the partners involved, opportunities might include equipment, sports technology, event services, research, broadcasting or services designed around athlete welfare.

The Roadmap identifies a direction for cooperation; it does not establish that all these initiatives have been delivered. The next step is for relevant organisations to identify specific projects, agree on responsibilities and assess what works.

A credible Australia–India sporting business platform should make women's sport visible in its opportunities and partnerships — not leave it as a separate conversation after commercial priorities have been decided.

Major events can create lasting connections

Chennai, Ahmedabad and Brisbane represent different kinds of sporting opportunities.

The scheduled BBL match in Chennai provides a near-term occasion to connect cricket audiences with broader Australian sporting, cultural and business engagement. The Roadmap also encourages exploration of exhibition matches and youth events in both countries, including opportunities to introduce sports such as kabaddi and kho kho to Australian audiences and Australian rules football and basketball to Indian audiences.

Ahmedabad 2030 and Brisbane 2032 create a longer preparation period in which sporting bodies may explore reciprocal arrangements, shared facilities, competitions and support networks. The Roadmap explicitly encourages cooperation around the build-up to major events, including the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games.

There are practical lessons to exchange: how to organise events, support athletes, plan accessible facilities, develop workforces, manage operations and deliver a positive experience for spectators and communities.

The benefits will depend on the projects that actually proceed. Hosting a major event does not automatically create a successful legacy, and no business should assume that an international connection guarantees access to procurement. Opportunities need to be identified, assessed and pursued through the relevant organisations and official channels.

The longer-term prize is a sporting relationship that continues to deliver value after the crowds have gone home.

Where PlayForward Australia–India fits

The official Roadmap sets out areas for cooperation. The next challenge is helping the right people find each other and explore where their capabilities and interests overlap.

That is the purpose behind PlayForward Australia–India.

PlayForward is being developed as an Australia–India sports connection and opportunity platform. Its focus is the wider sporting ecosystem: sporting organisations, businesses, manufacturers, technology innovators, universities, researchers, coaches, athletes, officials and community groups.

The aim is to help people discover relevant opportunities, understand the wider Australia–India sporting landscape and explore potential connections around major events, capability development, women's sport, research and the sports industry.

For example, a sports technology business may want to investigate the Indian market. An Indian manufacturer may be interested in understanding demand in Australia. A university may be looking for a research counterpart. A community sporting organisation may have an idea for a participation programme. A coach or official may want to explore professional development.

These are different needs. A useful platform should help make them clearer rather than treating everyone as if they were looking for the same thing.

PlayForward does not replace the official procurement systems of Brisbane 2032, Commonwealth Sport, sporting federations or government agencies. It is not a government programme or an official delivery partner of the bilateral Roadmap. It cannot guarantee contracts, funding, introductions or sporting outcomes.

Its role is to help surface possibilities, encourage relevant connections and support conversations that may lead to practical collaboration.

An invitation to Australia's and India's sporting ecosystem

The next decade offers a reason to act now, but meaningful cooperation will take more than enthusiasm. It needs people who understand their industries, organisations willing to work together and projects with a clear purpose.

If you are a sporting organisation preparing for future events, a business with relevant products or services, a university exploring sports research, a coach or official with expertise to share, or a community organisation looking for ways to grow participation, there may be a place for you in this conversation.

We welcome interest from both countries, across established and emerging sports, and from organisations of different sizes. What matters is not how large an organisation is, but whether it has something relevant to contribute and a genuine interest in exploring collaboration.

Chennai in 2026, Ahmedabad in 2030 and Brisbane in 2032 are important milestones. The opportunity is to use the years between them to build relationships, strengthen capabilities and identify work that benefits both countries.

Join PlayForward Australia–India. Bring your expertise, your ideas and your ambition. Let's connect the people behind sport, explore real opportunities and help build a sporting relationship that delivers value well beyond the final whistle.