Kuwait and India Discuss Strengthening Sports Cooperation

Kuwait’s Ambassador to India, Meshal Al-Shammari, met with Kalyan Chaubey, President of the All India Football Federation, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, to discuss ways to develop bilateral cooperation in football and sports in general.

During the meeting, both sides emphasized the importance of activating the executive program for sports cooperation for the period 2025–2028, signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kuwait in December 2024. This program includes the exchange of expertise, visits, and participation in sports programs and projects, as well as cooperation in sports medicine, sports science management, and enhancing their culture.

The two parties also discussed the possibility of organizing friendly matches between national teams across various age groups for men and women, as well as sports clubs, alongside the exchange of coaches and referees, player professionalization, and the development of youth programs and academies. They also explored organizing joint training camps and leveraging mutual expertise to develop football at both the grassroots and professional levels.

Ambassador Al-Shammari praised the historical and strong ties between Kuwait and India, which have reached the level of a strategic partnership. He emphasized that sports serve as a bridge strengthening people-to-people and cultural links between the two peoples, particularly given the presence of a large Indian community in Kuwait that contributes to enhancing these ties.

For his part, the President of the All India Football Federation expressed his welcome for cooperation with the Kuwaiti side, affirming the Federation’s readiness to discuss practical mechanisms for implementing joint initiatives to serve the development of the game in both countries.

This meeting comes within the framework of ongoing efforts to enhance sports cooperation between Kuwait and India, in line with both countries’ vision of developing youth and sports as tools for public diplomacy and mutual understanding.