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The BRICS Sports Ministers' Meeting 2026 concluded at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23 August 2026 with the adoption by consensus of the BRICS Sports Joint Declaration.
The meeting was held under India's BRICS Chairship 2026, whose theme is 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.
Three initiatives were advanced: a BRICS Working Group on Sports Technology; a BRICS Sports Manufacturing Conclave, with Udaipur proposed as host for its inaugural edition in November 2026; and BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Sports Demonstration Games, proposed for Ahmedabad on 12-13 October 2026 as a non-competitive, culturally focused event.
The Union Minister announced a forthcoming scheme for the promotion of Sports Goods Manufacturing Clusters and invited global manufacturers to 'Make in India, Play in India and Grow with India'.
Ahead of the proceedings, ministers and dignitaries from Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the UAE, Iran and South Africa joined a BRICS Friendship Cycling Event held as the 87th edition of Fit India Sundays on Cycle, which ran at more than 18,000 locations nationwide.
A grouping of major emerging economies that began as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), added South Africa in 2010, and expanded from 1 January 2024 with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE, followed by Indonesia in January 2025 - taking membership to eleven countries. Ten further countries, including Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Cuba, Vietnam, Uganda and Uzbekistan, were inducted as partner countries. The Chairship rotates; India holds it in 2026.
The multilateral development bank set up by the BRICS countries, which began operations on 21 July 2015 to finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects. Each founding member has one vote and no member holds a veto.
The nodal ministry hosting the BRICS Sports Ministers' Meeting and running the Fit India Movement and Khelo India; the Sports Authority of India functions under it.
The national federation for cycling, a collaborating partner for Fit India Sundays on Cycle along with the Raahgiri Foundation and MY Bharat.
Launched on 29 August 2019 - National Sports Day, the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand - at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, to make fitness part of everyday life through activities such as yoga, running and sport.
Key: Fit India Sundays on Cycle is its weekly cycling drive, run simultaneously across all States and Union Territories including SAI Regional Centres, National Centres of Excellence, SAI Training Centres, Khelo India State Centres of Excellence and Khelo India Centres. The 87th edition, on 23 August 2026, ran at more than 18,000 locations.
Launched by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2016-17 to revive grassroots sporting culture, widen mass participation and identify and nurture sporting talent.
Key: Delivers through Khelo India Centres, Khelo India State Centres of Excellence and the Khelo India Games; it is the pipeline referred to in the phrase 'from the playground to the podium'.
Announced at the meeting as forthcoming, to facilitate investment and promote domestic manufacture of sports goods for global markets.
Key: Positioned alongside the proposed BRICS Sports Manufacturing Conclave at Udaipur, and pitched to global manufacturers, technology companies and investors under the formulation 'Make in India, Play in India and Grow with India'. Details of outlay and coverage were not stated in the release.
South Africa joins, turning BRIC into BRICS.
New Development Bank begins operations, headquartered at Shanghai.
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates become full members.
Indonesia becomes a full member, taking the grouping to eleven countries; ten partner countries are also inducted.
India holds the BRICS Chairship under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.
BRICS Sports Ministers' Meeting at Visakhapatnam adopts the BRICS Sports Joint Declaration by consensus.
The Joint Declaration was adopted by consensus, the standard practice in BRICS, which has no permanent secretariat and no voting mechanism at ministerial meetings - a contrast worth holding against bodies such as the UN Security Council or the WTO.
Observed on 29 August, the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, and the date on which the Fit India Movement was launched in 2019 - a pairing frequently tested.
Participants at the cycling events took the Nasha Mukt Bharat pledge, linking the fitness drive to the anti-substance-abuse campaign run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Mera Yuva Bharat, the youth volunteering and engagement platform of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is a delivery partner for Fit India Sundays on Cycle.
The proposed Demonstration Games at Ahmedabad connect current affairs to the static culture syllabus, where traditional Indian games such as kabaddi, kho-kho, mallakhamb and gatka appear.
GS Paper 2 > International Relations > Important International Groupings
General Awareness > International Organisations and Sports
General Awareness > International Institutions, New Development Bank
General Awareness > Current Affairs
Consider the following pairs: I. Woman Farmer : 2026 II. Sustainable Tourism : 2027 III. Peace and Trust : 2025 IV. Asteroid : 2029 How many... correctly matched?
Answer: All the four
BRICS and its institutions appear in UPSC Prelims and in almost every SSC/Banking General Awareness paper; sports-ministry initiatives are staple important-days material.
The rotating annual presidency of BRICS, which sets the year's theme and hosts the ministerial meetings and the summit; India holds it in 2026.
A category below full membership created during the BRICS expansion, covering states such as Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Cuba, Vietnam, Uganda and Uzbekistan.
A negotiated outcome document adopted by consensus at a ministerial meeting; it is politically binding in intent but not a treaty.
Non-competitive events staged to showcase sports rather than award medals - the format proposed for the BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Sports Games at Ahmedabad.