New Delhi, September 14 (APAC Media): The 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, has concluded with member countries reaffirming the importance of sports as a vehicle for social development, people-to-people exchanges, and the promotion of healthy and active societies.Â
The declaration adopted at the summit welcomed the work of the BRICS Sports Working Group and the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in sports.Â
BRICS Games to Showcase Traditional Sporting HeritageÂ
The declaration recognised the BRICS Games as a platform for cooperation across high-performance, recreational, traditional, indigenous, and non-Olympic sports.
Proposed to be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on October 12-13, 2026, the Games will provide participating countries an opportunity to showcase, promote, and preserve their diverse traditional and indigenous sporting heritage.
Conceived as a non-competitive and culturally focused initiative, the Games are aimed at fostering cultural exchange, strengthening people-to-people ties, and promoting mutual understanding among BRICS nations. Athletes, practitioners, and experts will also be encouraged to engage voluntarily, wherever feasible.
Focus on Youth, Sports Tech, and Cooperation
The declaration also called for greater participation of youth and students in popular, national, traditional, and indigenous sports, while encouraging member countries to strengthen cooperation in sports.
“We emphasise the importance of sport as a vehicle for social development, people-to-people exchanges, and promotion of healthy and active societies. We commend the progress of the BRICS Sports Working Group, including the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Field of Physical Culture and Sport. In this regard, we appreciate the organisation of the BRICS Games as a platform for cooperation in the field of high-performance sports, sports for all and leisure sports, as well as the development of national, traditional, indigenous, and non-Olympic sports of BRICS countries to celebrate our shared diversity. We encourage enhanced cooperation for advancing sports among youth and students in popular sports as well as national, traditional, and indigenous sports. We encourage BRICS member countries to facilitate cooperation in sports technology in the form of exchange of good practices, institutional experiences, technical information, and research inputs,” the BRICS Declaration stated.
The declaration further welcomed discussions around sports technology, including the exchange of technical information, institutional experiences, research, and best practices.
Push for Sports Manufacturing Cooperation
India’s proposal to organise a BRICS Sports Goods Manufacturing Conclave also received broad support. Udaipur, Rajasthan, has been proposed as the host city for its inaugural edition in November 2026.
The conclave is expected to strengthen cooperation in sports goods manufacturing, research and innovation, while promoting quality standards, intra-BRICS trade, and resilient, sustainable supply chains.
It will bring together manufacturers, exporters, investors, technology providers, SMEs, startups, and research institutions to encourage collaboration and innovation across the sports manufacturing ecosystem.
The declaration also recognised the growing role of technology in enhancing sports performance, athlete welfare, governance, and inclusion, and supported discussions on establishing a Working Group on Sports Technology. It welcomed dialogue on a broader BRICS Sports Cooperation Framework, marking a wider push to position sports as an important avenue for cooperation among member countries.
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