BRICS Endorses India’s Push for a Sports‑Tech Working Group and a Manufacturing Conclave

When the BRICS leaders gathered in New Delhi this September, sport wasn’t just a sideline – it was front and centre of the New Delhi Declaration. The statement praised sport as a catalyst for social development, people‑to‑people exchange and healthier societies, and it gave a green light to two of India’s proposals.

First up, the creation of a Working Group on Sports Technology. India’s Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had already floated the idea at the BRICS Sports Ministers’ meeting in Visakhapatnam, saying India would send experts in everything from sports science to AI‑driven performance analysis. The declaration echoed that sentiment, noting the growing role of technology in boosting athlete performance, governance, inclusion and digital transformation.

The second initiative is a Sports Goods Manufacturing Conclave, slated for Udaipur, Rajasthan, in November 2026. Organisers envision a two‑day mash‑up of manufacturers, exporters, start‑ups, research institutes and technology providers – a real marketplace of ideas and innovation. The aim, according to the statement, is to spark cooperation in research, product design and sustainable manufacturing across the five BRICS economies.

When the broader BRICS summit kicked off at Bharat Mandapam, the declaration – titled “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” – highlighted the progress of the already‑running BRICS Sports Working Group, including the MoU on cooperation in physical culture and sport.

The declaration also gave a nod to the BRICS Games, a multi‑sport event first held in 2017. After a pandemic‑induced pause from 2019‑2021, the Games returned in 2022 and most recently took place in Kazan, Russia, in 2024. Members see the Games as a showcase of the bloc’s cultural diversity and a platform for high‑performance sport collaboration.

All in all, the BRICS endorsement signals that sport and technology are moving hand‑in‑hand on the global stage, with India steering a collaborative push that could reshape how athletes train, compete and access equipment across continents.