Nov 20, 2023, 04:28 PM IST
The exchange of table tennis between players of the United States and China in the early 1970s is deemed to have helped US to establish ties with People’s Republic of China. The 'ping-pong diplomacy' as it was called, paved the way for the US President Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing in 1972, one of the most consequential geopolitical events of twentieth century.
The Pakistan cricket team was on India tour when its military ruler Zia ul Haq came to Jaipur to watch a Test match. His visit eased tensions between two foes as they withdrew thousands of troops from forward positions to avoid what appeared to be an impending war.
India’s Viswanathan Anand became Chess world champion after defeating Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik in October 2008. Anand’s champion moment came right after India and the US signed landmark nuclear deal which raised a few eyebrows in Moscow. A year later, when Delhi and Moscow signed civil nuclear agreement, Anand’s win reportedly surfaced in the talks between Medvedev and Singh, rejuvenating a historic sense of people-to-people ties between India and Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart celebrated 75 years of India-Australia ties during an inaugural Test match played in Ahmedabad in March 2023.