Indian Footballers Return from Austria, Celebrated by Austrian Embassy

The Austrian Embassy in New Delhi recently hosted a welcome event for 28 young Indian footballers, comprising 16 boys and 12 girls. These athletes, known as the "Indian Tigers & Tigresses," had just returned from a week-long professional football training camp in Gmunden, Austria. The event, held in the garden of the Austrian Residence, celebrated their return and the experience gained.

The young players, ranging in age from 12 to 17, were selected from a pool of over 50,000 applicants across India. The selection process was rigorous, ensuring only the most promising talents were chosen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally acknowledged the young athletes during a summit on March 28, demonstrating the Indian government's strong support for youth sports and grassroots football.

The training camp in Gmunden was facilitated by Gerhard Riedl, an Austrian sports visionary. He serves as the Honorary President of the India Football Centre for Technical Excellence in Sports & Education (IFC) and CEO of RIESPO. The program's primary goal is to elevate professional football training standards in India and improve the identification and selection of emerging football talent, particularly among female players.

At the welcome ceremony, the Austrian Ambassador to India, HE Katharina Wieser, expressed her admiration for the young athletes. She highlighted the positive impact of the training camp, noting the new skills, confidence, and international exposure the players gained. She emphasized Austria's pride in supporting initiatives that foster connections between the two nations, particularly through sports.

Barun Das, Managing Director & CEO of TV9 Network, also spoke at the event, expressing his vision for Indian football. He emphasized the importance of nurturing talent to achieve world-class standards and highlighted TV9 Network's commitment to supporting this goal. Furthermore, four of the players, two boys and two girls, received the opportunity for advanced training in Stuttgart, Germany, further enhancing their prospects.

This initiative underscores the growing partnership between India and Austria. The collaboration extends across various sectors, including high-level political engagement, business-to-business interactions, and the development of sustainable economic and technological partnerships. It also encompasses science, research, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people connections, with a strong focus on youth engagement, education, and sports.