/ -- New Delhi, 22 November 2019: Celebrating 25 years of engagement in India, Australia's Deakin University hosted an event to highlight the importance of government, industry and academic partnerships to develop sport in India, held at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi.
The event included Australian Education Minister Dan Tehan MP alongside Deakin's Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin and Rajasthan Royals' COO Jake Lush McCrum.
Sport in India is growing as never before, with the introduction of premier leagues and tournaments in sports as diverse as football, basketball, tennis and kabbadi. There is a huge emphasis on professionalizing the industry in India across sport management, development, science and governance.
Mr Tehan said Australians loved sport and the country's universities had earned a reputation as world-leaders in sport science, health, management and commerce.
"Australia is a leading provider of sport education and our institutions are well placed to meet the growing demand from India for an international education in sport science and business. It makes sense that the world's biggest sports teams want to work with our universities and tap into our knowledge and talent," Mr Tehan said.
During the discussions, Deakin's association with the Rajasthan Royals was cited as the perfect example of such collaboration.
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Currently in its fourth year of association, Deakin was the first Australian university to partner with a team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is the official sports education partner for Rajasthan Royals.
Jointly the partners have promoted sport education in India and facilitated research in sport management and sport science, while working on initiatives to encourage the participation of women in sport.
Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin said Deakin was the first international education provider to set up an office in India and is ranked in the world's top three universities for sports science, so working to promote the professionalisation of sport in India was a perfect fit.
"Our partnership with the Rajasthan Royals is a pivotal part of this work. It helps attract the best and brightest Indian students to study sport in Australia, creates meaningful research and training connections between both countries, and provides opportunities for Australian students to participate in internships and study tours during the Indian Premier League season," Professor Martin said.
"We want to help the next generation to make sport a professional industry in India, while also offering all our students the opportunity to learn globally-relevant skills. These skills will be vital in enabling them to build an exciting career in sport, wherever it takes them."
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