New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS): Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said he looks forward to deepening India’s partnership with Nike after meetings with the company’s senior leadership in the United States.
Piyush Goyal posted on X that he had received a note from the legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar recalling that he was the first Indian athlete to sign with Nike USA in the 1980s and praising the Nike campus in Portland.
“He wrote that he was the first Indian athlete to sign with Nike USA in the 80s and fondly recalled how terrific the Nike campus in Portland is, rich in sporting history,” Goyal said about the note from Gavaskar.
“What began as a partnership on the cricket field now has the potential to power manufacturing in India, create jobs, strengthen local sourcing, and open new opportunities for our youth,” the post said.
Goyal earlier said that the talks with Nike explored ways to deepen the company’s presence across manufacturing, local sourcing and the broader sports ecosystem.
The minister travelled to Chicago after representing India at the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwaukee, where ministers discussed issues including forced labour, the future of the World Trade Organization and state-supported excess production capacity.
India and the United States have a broad commercial relationship spanning goods and services, technology, manufacturing and investment. Goyal’s proposed multi-sectoral delegation would provide another platform for companies from the two countries to explore investment and commercial partnerships.
During an interaction with Indian-Americans at an event organised by the US Indian Community Foundation in Chicago after attending the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwaukee, Goyal said India plans to bring a large multi-sectoral business delegation to the United States, possibly in the first quarter of next year.
