India, Netherlands sign MoU for cooperation in field of sports

New Delhi: India and The Netherlands today signed MoU for exchange of knowledge and experience in the fields of sports management, competition infrastructure set-up, coaching, training systems and training of referees for various sporting disciplines.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the Sports Minister Jitendra Singh and Health, Welfare and Sport Minister of Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ms Edith I Schippers, who is currently on a visit to India heading a Netherlands delegation. "MoU provides for cooperation and exchange programmes in the field of innovative sports infrastructure development and management including financial development, spatial area development, planning of sports infrastructure and facilities, designing of sports infrastructure and facilities, exploitation of resources, management training and safety and security," a Sports Ministry release said. The MoU also included two areas for immediate execution. "Two areas viz., feasibility study or detailed project report on the area development and resource exploitation possibilities around one major stadium in Delhi and feasibility study on the development and management of indoor sporting units to increase broad access to sporting facilities nationwide and exploring the possibility of opening a pilot unit of the same have been included for immediate execution," the release stated. Signing of the MoU was preceded by delegation-level talks between the two countries where steps to enhance co-operation in the field of sports were discussed. A Seminar on Indo-Dutch collaboration on sports was also organised at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here. The seminar was jointly organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Embassy of Kingdom of the Netherlands and India-Netherlands Business Association (INBA). Optimum utilisation and legacy usage of sports stadia as well as their use for non-sporting events and public private partnership in sports sector were the main themes of the Seminar. Signing of the MoU between the two nations and holding of the seminar was a follow-up to the Indian delegation`s visit to The Netherlands in June last year when Jitendra Singh had headed the four-member team. The Indian delegation had evinced interest in the management and legacy usage of the Amsterdam arena, the largest football stadium in the Netherlands. "India can benefit from the expertise and knowledge of The Netherlands in the fields of sports science, sports medicine and sports coaching," the Ministry release said.