New Delhi: A magazine brought out by the Indian Embassy in Austria has covered the TV9 Network’s Tigers and Tigresses programme, which is the world’s largest football talent hunt. Taking inputs from Aditya Raj Kaul, the former Executive Editor at TV9 Network, the magazine talked about the visit of 28 enthusiastic boys and girls from India to Austria’s Gmunden in April 2025.
The Indian Tigers and Tigresses programme was launched by TV9 Network’s News9 vertical on April 10, 2024. This was the largest football talent hunt in the country’s history. The program selected 28 children, 12 girls and 16 boys between the age of 12 to 17 years for a week-long training camp in Austria.
The group was named “Special 28′ and the training camp for these kids was held at Gmunden in Upper Austria, noted the Embassy magazine. The Embassy noted that despite the cold and chill in the country, the warmth shown by the Austrian officials was very encouraging for the children. Such initiatives symbolise a deepening bond and growing interest in strengthening people-to-people ties, they added.
The collaboration between the Austrian organisations like the Riespo and the players’ exposure to elite facilities are an example of shared values and excellence between the 2 countries, said the Embassy. Praising the initiative of TV 9, the magazine said that such initiatives prove that with the right opportunity and determination, Indian football can soar to new heights.