A visit of the Russian delegation to India, where on 6 December 2021 Russian President Vladimir Putin met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, resulted in a series of agreements in areas key to both countries, including education, science and culture.

Under the existing agreements between Russia and India, and as part of preparations for the state visit, the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) held a number of meetings and signed a memorandum of understanding with India’s National Sports University (NSU).

The cooperation agreement between the two universities is of great importance to both the parties for several reasons. RIOU’s programmes have attracted Indian students for many years, and each intake on RIOU’s international Master of Sport Administration course has included at least one representative from this country. India places a great emphasis on developing sport, implementing government programmes to nurture and support talent. NSU was established in 2018 under a decision of the Indian Government, becoming the first educational institution in the country to deliver university-level programmes in the field of fitness and sport. NSU will also operate as a research centre to develop sports science and foster the training of elite athletes. The two universities have agreed to promote cooperation and exchange in training sports management professionals, drawing on RIOU’s extensive expertise in the field. The parties also see great potential in developing student and faculty exchange, as well as in implementing joint research projects.