Shillong, July 20: Improvement of Indo-French ties, in the context of Meghalaya, in the field of culture and sports was discussed during a meeting between French Consul General Thierry Morel and Meghalaya State Planning Board Co-Chairman John F Kharshiing at the French Consulate here on Monday.
Kharshiing, also working president of Meghalaya State Olympic Association, discussed ways to deepen cooperation with France, particularly in sports development and athlete exchanges, according to a press statement.
Both sides highlighted the success of Meghalaya’s earlier football exchange with a club in Lyon, which provided training exposure to young players from the state.
They agreed to explore expanding such programmes to other sports.
“The meeting also referenced the India-France MoU on sports cooperation, which covers coach and athlete exchanges, sports science, medicine, infrastructure and capacity building,” Kharshiing said.
He said Meghalaya could tap into this bilateral framework to advance sports excellence in the state. Other areas discussed included technical support, coaching exchanges, training programmes and institutional partnerships.
Kharshiing invited Morel, who recently took charge as Consul General in Kolkata, to visit Shillong to further discuss collaboration opportunities.
The meeting ended with both sides expressing commitment to promoting cultural exchange and sports development through continued engagement.
