South Africa and China Look to Deepen Sports Cooperation Ahead of BRICS Meeting
South Africa and China are looking to strengthen their sporting relationship, with discussions between senior officials focusing on how sport can be used to deepen cooperation, create opportunities for athletes and strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries.
Ahead of the BRICS Sports Ministers’ Meeting, Deputy Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe held bilateral discussions with Cui Jian, Vice Minister of China’s General Administration of Sport. The meeting formed part of South Africa’s participation in the 2026 BRICS Sports Ministers’ engagements and provided an opportunity for the two countries to discuss areas of mutual interest in sport. The meeting was publicly highlighted by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and Deputy Minister Mabe’s official social media platforms.
For South Africa, cooperation with China is particularly significant as the two countries have developed increasingly close relations across a number of sectors, including trade, education, culture and technology. Sport provides another practical area in which these ties can be translated into programmes that directly involve communities and young people. The discussions between Mabe and Cui are expected to contribute to the broader conversation around sports cooperation between the two countries, including opportunities for knowledge sharing, athlete development and the exchange of expertise.
Sport has increasingly become an important part of international diplomacy. Beyond competition, sporting exchanges allow athletes, coaches, administrators and young people to interact across borders and learn from different sporting systems. For South Africa, which has a long history of using sport as a vehicle for social transformation, stronger international partnerships could help expand opportunities for young athletes and sports practitioners. China, meanwhile, has developed extensive experience in sports development, high-performance training, sports science and the organisation of major sporting events.
The bilateral meeting also came as BRICS countries gathered to discuss the future of sports cooperation among member states. The BRICS platform has created opportunities for countries to exchange ideas and explore joint initiatives in areas extending beyond traditional political and economic cooperation.South Africa’s participation reflects the country’s continued commitment to using the BRICS platform to promote practical partnerships that can benefit its people.
Mabe’s engagement with the Chinese sports authorities therefore carries significance beyond the formal meeting room. Stronger cooperation could potentially open doors for exchanges involving athletes and coaches, technical expertise, sports administration and youth development. Such partnerships are particularly important at grassroots level, where access to facilities, coaching, equipment and development opportunities can determine whether young people are able to progress in sport.
South Africa has also used sport as a tool to promote social cohesion, encourage healthy lifestyles and provide young people with alternatives to social challenges. International cooperation can complement these efforts by exposing local practitioners to different approaches and creating new avenues for learning. The engagement with China also reinforces the broader relationship between the two countries, with sport providing a more personal dimension to diplomatic ties.
While government-to-government relations often focus on trade, investment and political cooperation, sporting exchanges bring people together in a different way. Athletes compete, train and learn together, while fans develop an interest in cultures and countries they may otherwise know little about. As South Africa and China continue to build their bilateral relationship, sport is emerging as another avenue through which cooperation can move from diplomatic commitments to practical programmes.
The discussions between Mabe and Cui ahead of the BRICS Sports Ministers’ Meeting signal a willingness from both sides to explore that potential. For young South Africans in particular, deeper international sporting partnerships could ultimately translate into greater exposure, skills development and opportunities to participate and compete at higher levels. The meeting therefore represents another step in strengthening South Africa-China relations, while placing sport at the centre of efforts to build stronger connections between the people of the two countries.
