Sports Minister says India will push for inclusion of Yogasana in Olympics

Participants perform yoga poses during the 2nd Asia Sports Yoga Championship in New Delhi. (PTI file photo) Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said that India will push for the inclusion of Yogasana in the Olympics as the country prepares to host the 2036 Olympics. His comments came ahead of the first-ever Yogasana World Championships to be held in Ahmedabad from June 4 to 8.529 athletes from over 60 countries will participate in the championship, including 114 Indian participants. The Indian team was selected through trials and is currently training at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad.“Yogasana will be one of the traditional sports at the Ahmedabad Commonwealth Games in 2030… We are bidding to host the Olympics in 2036 and when that happens, our sport should be on the list. Both the Government of India and the national federation (Yogasana Bharat said during the opening of the Olympic championships) are trying to ensure that yoga becomes a sporting event by then,” he said.“The procedure is that 75 countries like your signatories will become an international federation, then it will be possible to apply to the International Olympic Committee to include the sport in the Olympics,” he added.World Yogasana vice president Udit Sheth said the federation wants Yogasana to first become a demonstration sport at the 2032 Olympics.“Our vision is to have it as a demonstration sport in the 2032 Olympics and then make it a medal event in 2036 regardless of whether the games are held in Ahmedabad or anywhere else,” he said.The tournament will include 12 events in six age groups for men and women, from 10 years to 55 years.Teams from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will not participate in the event.World Yogasana Secretary General Jaideep Arya said the numbers of participants could have been higher but some countries had pulled out due to the military conflict in the Persian Gulf region.“Three-four countries had to withdraw due to war, but the overall participation is quite good. Nepal and Sri Lanka have the largest contingent after India, but we have participation from countries like Netherlands, Oman, Japan, Kenya and Mauritius,” Arya told reporters.He explained that while yoga is generally seen as a wellness activity, yoga is based on physical poses that can be competed.“Yoga is a wellness technique, but yogasana is a physical position that can be judged. We have divided the competition into artistic and rhythmic and a point system that will be performed by nine judges around the field.”Athletes will be judged on factors such as alignment, symmetry, facial direction and muscle stability as they perform the asanas.Sheth said the championship would not be televised live and would instead be used for a documentary project.“Yogasana has the potential to become India’s biggest sporting contribution to the world and that’s where we’re headed. This is more than just a championship, it’s the start of a global sports movement,” he said.