SENIOR OFFICIALS from the International Olympic Academy (IOA) and the Indian Sports Ministry met in New Delhi to chart out collaborative initiatives aimed at strengthening sports and Olympic education in India.
A two-member IOA delegation, director Dr Makis Asimakopoulos and head of NOAs/NOCs relations Alexandra Karaiskou visited the Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters, where they held discussions with senior ministry officials led by sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao.
The meeting focused on potential collaborations involving the IOA, the Sports Ministry, the Indian Olympic Association and the recently revived National Olympic Academy of India. The objective is to develop specialised programmes to enhance education and capacity-building for sports administrators, coaches, sports science professionals and physical education teachers across the country.
Dr Asimakopoulos said he was impressed by “the Plan, the strategy and the vision that the Sports Ministry has put in place in order to play a major role in the Olympic Movement.” After reviewing the range of government-led sports initiatives, he said the IOA was keen to support India’s efforts to deepen Olympic education.
“We want to bring our expertise to train people in the sports ecosystem on the values of Olympism and Olympic Games so that young people in India are trained to understand Olympic values,” he said.
Karaiskou added, “We had a very productive discussion and from the presentation made by the Secretary Sports, we saw that India is taking concrete steps to add Olympic Education in the framework of hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and bidding for the 2036 Olympics. I am very happy that the National Olympic Academy in India has been revived after a very long time and we expect to work in very close collaboration with the Indian Olympic Association and Sports Authority of India to promote Olympic values in India.”
Rao expressed, “We had a very fruitful first meeting and we intend to take this collaboration forward so that we can draw from the rich experience of the IOA and strengthen our sports education further. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the sports ecosystem is growing at a very fast pace & it is critical to create experts who can take the Olympic movement in India forward.”
The Sports Secretary added that the IOA could contribute through customised educational projects for India, skill-development initiatives at leading academic institutions, certified courses for sports administrators, masterclasses by international experts, as well as joint research and digital collaborations.
It was also proposed that India host an international forum for National Olympic Academies. In addition, discussions are underway on broader cooperation with the IOA and the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) on Olympic education and knowledge-sharing initiatives linked to sporting legacy.
