New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): In a significant step towards strengthening India's high-performance sports ecosystem ahead of major international events including the country's larger Olympic ambitions, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Tsukuba (UT), Japan, one of Asia's leading institutions in sports education, sports science and athlete development.

The agreement was signed by Prof Kyosuke Nagata, President, University of Tsukuba and Manjushree Dayanand, Deputy Director General, SAI, on behalf of DG, SAI, according to a press release.

The partnership is committed for three consecutive years and builds upon the broader sports cooperation framework established between the Governments of India and Japan in 2016, and an earlier institutional MoU signed in 2018 between the university and SAI.

Osamu Ohneda, Vice President of the university, present during the signing on Friday, stated, 'Our aim is the cultivation of talent as well as continued sustainable sports development in both our countries with further academic excellence and new frameworks for coach development and top athlete training.'

'Sports education and sports science are the most important things in the ecosystem. And this relation will push for more ideal activities going ahead between India and Japan,' he added.

The renewed India-Japan partnership comes at a crucial time as India prepares for a packed international sporting calendar leading to the Commonwealth Games 2030, which the country is set to host alongside the 2036 Olympics efforts in making.

'Sustained international collaborations of this nature are critical not only for athlete preparation but also for developing skills of coaches, sports scientists, administrators and support personnel required to sustain elite sporting success,' said SAI Deputy Director General Dayanand.

'India is preparing for bigger events, so this has come at the right time, and it's a leap forward in development in sports science and more,' she added.

Under the agreement, both sides will collaborate across a wide spectrum of areas, including sports education, Olympic and Paralympic education, curriculum development, coach education, sports management, facility development, sports medicine, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, injury prevention, sports science research and athlete performance enhancement.

The MoU also provides opportunities for Indian athletes, coaches, sports scientists and SAI administrators to participate in specialised training, exchange and attachment programmes in Japan, while opening avenues for higher education and academic collaboration between SAI and the University of Tsukuba.

A key feature of the partnership is the focus on priority sports such as athletics, archery, table tennis, swimming and judo, disciplines in which India is seeking to expand its international competitiveness over the coming decade.

The collaboration will also facilitate exchange programmes for faculty, officials and sports personnel, joint research projects in sports science and medicine, sports performance analysis and internship opportunities through the Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (TIAS 2.0).

The SAI-University of Tsukuba partnership is expected to play an important role in transferring global best practices in sports science, coaching methodology and athlete management.

Beyond medals, the collaboration is also aimed at creating long-term institutional capacity and human-resource development that aims at a lasting legacy for Indian sport in the years leading up to the Commonwealth Games 2030 and beyond. (ANI)