SHILLONG, July 20: France and Meghalaya are exploring deeper cooperation in sports and cultural exchange, with focus on athlete and coach exchange programmes, technical collaboration and institutional partnerships to boost sporting excellence in the state.
The proposals were discussed at a meeting between Consul General of France in Kolkata Thierry Morel and Meghalaya State Planning Board Co-Chairman and Working President of the Meghalaya State Olympic Association John F. Kharshiing at the Consul General’s office in Kolkata on Monday.
Kharshiing recalled the success of an earlier football exchange programme between Meghalaya and a club in Lyon, France, which gave young footballers from the state valuable international exposure. Both sides acknowledged the positive outcomes and expressed interest in expanding similar exchanges to other priority sports identified by Meghalaya.
The meeting also referred to the broader India-France partnership in sports, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, and the Ministry of Sports of the French Republic. The MoU covers athlete and coach exchanges, sports science, sports medicine, training, capacity building, infrastructure and sharing of technical expertise.
Both sides agreed that Meghalaya could leverage the bilateral MoU to strengthen its sports ecosystem. Discussions also covered specialised training programmes, coaching exchanges, sports science support and institutional partnerships for the long-term development of sports in the state. Officials decided to continue consultations in the coming months to identify concrete areas of collaboration.
Apart from sports, the meeting underscored the importance of cultural exchanges to strengthen people-to-people ties between France and Meghalaya.
Kharshiing extended a formal invitation to Morel, who recently assumed office as Consul General, to visit Shillong at a mutually convenient time. The proposed visit is expected to help explore further collaborative initiatives.
The meeting concluded on a positive note, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to promoting friendship, cultural exchange and sports excellence through sustained cooperation.
