sports – Into India

With a World Cup cricket win, the lives of young girls in India are changing

A game such as cricket can change our society, and this is surely the case for girls and young women growing up in India.

The Indian women’s cricket team won their first World Cup, playing to a sold-out suburban Mumbai stadium of 45,000-seat capacity and drawing over 300 million views online.

Can you imagine how many girls are now dreaming of a sporting future?

In India, this win means women’s cricket is now standing on its own merit, and there will be millions of young women turning up to play the game – which in itself is a social change.

Advertising and sponsorships will flood in for this team.

But the powerful BCCI, India’s cricket governing body, must increase women’s tournaments so they have more game time and add Women’s Premier League teams to absorb new talent. Demand for local coaching and equipment will explode – and the BCCI needs to step up.

Change from the BCCI has been slow – for example, this week the board announced a bonus of 510 million rupees for the women’s team, less than half the 1.25 billion rupees it gave to the men’s team when they won the T20 World Cup last year.

They cannot ignore the level of “love of the game” among Indian women and cricket fans around the world.

Let’s hope for an India vs Australia final for the next women’s world cup!

Growth in “sports culture” part of India’s push of soft power and hopes of hosting the 2036 Olympics

Now Indian PM Modi is chasing an Olympic Games for India

Sport is on the mind of the Government of Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.

No doubt the next election he and the BJP face will have a big sports focus.

And words are being backed up by action – the Indian Government has a US$474 million sports budget this year.

PM Modi has always been ambitious for India – and his spending will create a sporting infrastructure boost to underpin the India push to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

A future Olympic Games could capture the minds and pride of Indians everywhere, including the large Indian diaspora here in Australia.

PM Modi recently stated that India’s soft power will grow with the development of a sports culture. Speaking at the inauguration of the Khelo India Youth Games, he highlighted the government’s focus on modernising sports infrastructure with the goal of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.

A significant portion of the US$ 474 million sports budget for the year is being allocated to this purpose.

India has submitted a Letter of Intent to the International Olympic Committee to host the Games and is competing with countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Korea, Indonesia and Chile for the hosting rights.

The sports budget has increased more than threefold in the past decade, with over 1,000 Khelo India centres now operating across the country, including more than three dozen in Bihar.

Australia has been doing well via cricket – opening new training facilities and programs in India and chasing other collaborations.

PM Modi’s big sports spend shows the timing is good for all areas of sports in Australia to get over to India and actively participate in this growing sector.

Xentrix Studios Australia Animated Cricket Series ‘Snick and Willow’ to add real spin to our India relations

Xentrix Studios Australia has created a brilliant animated cricket series which will score big runs in both India and Australia – bringing us closer together on our favourite topic, cricket.

Don’t read what I say – watch this and be impressed…

The whole project is championed by famous cricketer Lord Ian Botham and was developed in collaboration with parent company, Xentrix Studios India.

Ken Cantrill, Head of Creative of Xentrix Studios Australia and Co-Creator of Snick and Willow. “The series is destined to be a massive success.”

This series is more than cricket, bridging cultures and inspiring young audiences worldwide. That is why INTO INDIA is so excited.

It educates about teamwork, courage, and the spirit of sportsmanship.

Can’t wait for it to come out – rumour is it will be launched during the Australia vs India Boxing Day Test this summer in Melbourne.

Want to know more about Xentrix?

https://www.xentrixstudios.com/

Australia India two-way trade now over A$50 billion

Great news from Austrade – two-way trade between Australia and India has reached around AUD 50 billion!

INTO INDIA has been active in this space over 20 years, and for most of this time our trade remained stagnant.

This recent growth is a tribute to the folks at Austrade, as well as State Government offices and all the organisations promoting the relationship. And of course highest praise goes to the brave companies that are finding a way in the Indian growth market.

Healthcare is a good example of the opportunities ahead.

The recent Indian budget 2024 signals the Indian government’s resounding commitment to provide equitable healthcare services across socio-economic spectrum with special coverage of “missing” middle class.

The Indian government is scaling up their focus on digitalisation of the public healthcare system, tariff reductions on some critical pharmaceutical drugs and MedTech devices.

Good news across the board – the budget also involves notable reductions in corporate taxes for foreign companies.

As India continues to grow as a preferred commercial destination, connect with organisations such as the Australia India Chamber of Commerce, with Austrade and with State Government offices – they can all help with the pathway to India.