Rivar Group
Panaji (Goa) [India], November 4: The Government of Goa, through the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (Goa IPB), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rivar Group, the European investment and venture group, for a proposed investment of about ₹3,000 crore, excluding land, in Goa International Sports & Performance City. The MoU was signed at the Vibrant Goa Global Business Summit 2026 in the presence of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant. The proposed destination will bring international education, elite sport, cricket, motorsport, human performance and wellness together in one place.
Anil Kumar Reddy, Director, signed on behalf of Rivar Group, and Shri Ankit Yadav, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, on behalf of the Goa IPB.
Goa has long been where India comes to play. The project aims to make it the place where India comes to train, compete and win.
“India is an important strategic market for Rivar Group, and the Goa International Sports & Performance City is our first step here. It will give young Indian athletes a genuine pathway to the top at home, and give Goa a year-round, high-value reason to visit. Beyond Goa, we are exploring opportunities with several state governments in aerospace, deeptech, advanced manufacturing and science and technology innovation, bringing international expertise, technology and investment together with India's capabilities to build lasting partnerships.” Anil Kumar Reddy, Director, Rivar Group
Building India's Olympic talent
The MoU comes as India pursues the world's biggest sporting events. On 6 October 2026, the International Olympic Committee named India among seven countries in dialogue to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, and Ahmedabad will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. Winning at that level needs a deep bench of athletes, coaches and sports scientists, talent that takes a decade or more to develop. Young athletes who join the academies in the next few years would reach their competitive peak in the mid-2030s.
One campus, many pathways
At the heart of the destination will be an international sports school with university pathways, giving every student a structured academic, sporting and career plan. Elite academies will open with football, tennis, badminton and padel, and expand over time into squash, golf, athletics, swimming and selected Olympic disciplines.
* A cricket academy will offer turf wickets, indoor nets, video analysis and high-performance coaching, with a ground able to host domestic tournaments and training camps for State and visiting teams.
* A motorsport academy will take young drivers from karting and simulators to racecraft, alongside premium track experiences for enthusiasts.
* A Human Performance Institute will bring biomechanics, performance testing, sports technology and data, physiotherapy and rehabilitation under one roof.
The project will be developed in four phases: feasibility and site selection; a core launch of the school and academies; an expanded main campus with wellness and conference facilities; and finally the cricket ground, motorsport circuit, indoor arenas and full destination offer. Each phase will proceed only as approvals, demand and funding are secured.
Why Goa? India's sports event capital
Goa has already shown it can host the world, from the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017 and the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in 2022 to the 37th National Games in 2023 and the FIDE Chess World Cup in 2025. With two international airports, a world-renowned hospitality sector and a climate that allows outdoor sport for most of the year, what it does not yet have is a permanent, purpose-built sporting destination at international scale.
Goa International Sports & Performance City is designed to fill that gap. It will support a recurring annual calendar of national and international tournaments in cricket, football and motorsport, residential training camps for national and international teams, and sports science and sports business conferences. Indoor arenas and training camps will draw visitors through the monsoon and the off-season, spreading the benefits of tourism across the year.
Jobs and opportunity for Goans
At full build-out, the project is expected to create more than 1,000 direct jobs and around 2,000 indirect jobs, across coaching and teaching, sports science and physiotherapy, ground and turf management, motorsport engineering, hospitality, events and venue management. Local suppliers, transport operators, tour providers and MSMEs stand to benefit from a steady flow of athletes, families and visitors.
University pathways and professional certifications on campus will let young Goans train for these careers without leaving the State. Scholarships, local hiring and community access programmes will open the facilities to Goa's children and schools.
Rivar Group in India
Goa International Sports & Performance City is the first major initiative in Rivar Group's wider India programme. The group is exploring opportunities with several state governments to set up manufacturing plants, technology and R&D centres, and sector-focused industrial clusters in aerospace, deeptech, advanced manufacturing, and science and technology innovation. It intends to work with Indian companies, institutions, government agencies and international technology partners, combining India's industrial capabilities with global expertise and investment. Further projects will be announced as discussions with individual states reach agreement.
Next steps
Under the MoU, Rivar Group and the State will work together on a structured feasibility phase covering site identification and screening, a demand-tested master plan, environmental and regulatory assessment, and a phased investment and operating model. Each side will nominate a nodal point of contact to coordinate the work.
About Rivar Group
Rivar Group is a European investment and venture group. It invests in and builds businesses in aerospace, deeptech, advanced manufacturing, science and technology innovation, sports, education and performance, and infrastructure, bringing international capital, technology partners and operating expertise to public and private partners from concept through to delivery.
Rivar Group is led by Anil Kumar Reddy, who brings two decades of senior leadership in global financial services and technology across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.rivargroup.com
Media contacts
Rivar Group: Anil Kumar Reddy, Director | akr@rivargroup.com | +44 7305 400555
Stratfield Partners: Muneeb Ansari, Partner | muneeb@stratfield-partners.com | +91 80970 40288
(ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by Rivar Group. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
