India and New Zealand discuss sports cooperation as 2026 marks 100 years of sporting ties
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met a New Zealand delegation led by Chris Bishop in New Delhi on 9 March 2026 to expand sports cooperation in the centenary year of ties dating to the 1926 Indian Army hockey tour.
Summary
Union Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a ministerial meeting with a New Zealand sports delegation in New Delhi on 9 March 2026. The year 2026 marks 100 years of India–New Zealand sporting ties, which trace back to the Indian Army hockey tour of New Zealand in 1926. The New Zealand side was led by Chris Bishop, Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation, and included former cricketer Ross Taylor and Sport New Zealand CEO Raelene Castle. Talks focused on the India–New Zealand Centenary Sports Cooperation Programme 2026, a proposed India–New Zealand Sports and Culture Week, and joint high-performance training. Priority sports named were rugby, rowing, canoeing, sailing, athletics and cycling. Both sides agreed to set up a Joint Working Group and explored adding New Zealand's coach development framework to the curriculum of NIS Patiala.
Key facts
- Date and place
- 9 March 2026, New Delhi
- Centenary
- 100 years since 1926 Indian Army hockey tour to NZ
- NZ lead
- Chris Bishop, Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation
- Programme
- India–NZ Centenary Sports Cooperation Programme 2026
- Priority sports
- Rugby, rowing, canoeing, sailing, athletics, cycling
- Mechanism
- Joint Working Group; NZ coach framework for NIS Patiala
Practice MCQs 2 questions
The centenary of India–New Zealand sporting ties in 2026 traces back to which event of 1926?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — The Indian Army hockey tour to New Zealand
The ties trace back to the historic 1926 Indian Army hockey tour to New Zealand.
Who led the New Zealand sports delegation that met Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on 9 March 2026?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — Chris Bishop
The delegation was led by Chris Bishop, Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation; Ross Taylor and Raelene Castle were members, and Patrick John Rata is New Zealand's High Commissioner to India.