Australia has formally backed India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing Canberra’s support during a joint event with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The announcement came alongside the unveiling of the India–Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap, a comprehensive framework designed to deepen bilateral cooperation in sports, athlete development, sports science and major event hosting.
The roadmap builds on the Memorandum of Understanding on Sports Cooperation signed by the two countries in 2023 and outlines a long-term strategy to strengthen collaboration across elite sport, grassroots participation, sports administration, integrity, coaching, sports medicine, high-performance systems and sports technology. It also aims to facilitate greater engagement between sporting organisations, universities, businesses, state governments and community groups in both countries.
As part of the announcement, Australia pledged to support India’s preparations to host the 2036 Olympic Games by sharing its expertise in planning and delivering major sporting events. The partnership will leverage Australia’s experience from hosting the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, while also supporting collaboration ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and India’s long-term Olympic ambitions.
The roadmap identifies several priority areas of cooperation, including athlete and coach exchanges, sports governance, venue management, sports infrastructure, anti-doping initiatives, inclusion and participation, sports business development and innovation. It also seeks to encourage partnerships between professional leagues, national sports federations and high-performance institutes to strengthen the sporting ecosystems in both countries.
Beyond elite sport, the initiative is expected to promote greater collaboration in sports education, research, sports technology and investment. The two governments highlighted sport as an important driver of trade, tourism and people-to-people ties, with the roadmap designed to create new opportunities for businesses, event organisers and educational institutions in both countries.
The sports partnership formed part of a broader package of agreements signed during Prime Minister Modi’s three-day visit to Australia, covering defence, critical minerals, clean energy, education and economic cooperation. Alongside the roadmap, the two leaders also announced that the opening match of the 2026–27 Big Bash League season will be staged in Chennai, marking the competition’s first-ever overseas fixture and further underlining the growing sporting relationship between the two nations.
For India, Australia’s endorsement represents a significant diplomatic boost as the country continues to build international support for its 2036 Olympic bid. India has consistently expressed its ambition to host the Games as part of its broader strategy to develop world-class sports infrastructure, increase participation and position itself as a global sporting destination. Several other nations, including Qatar, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, have also expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics, making the bidding process highly competitive.
