Mansukh Mandaviya and PT Usha Push for Yoga in Asian Games
New Delhi, India, June 28: Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, has welcomed the move by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha to include Yoga in the Asian Games. Mandaviya stated, “It is only fair that, in keeping with its wide popularity, Yoga becomes a competitive sport and is in the Asian Games.”
PT Usha has written to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Raja Randhir Singh on June 26 to consider this proposal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked hard to ensure that June 21 is celebrated as International Yoga Day each year. The discipline, which embraces mind and body, has gained popularity worldwide and is ready as a competitive sport with its own code of points and distinct events.
Mandaviya added, “India has been at the forefront of making Yoga popular, and we started it as a competitive sport by including it in the Khelo India Youth Games with great success. It is pleasing to note that a growing number of Yoga practitioners has encouraged organisers of the National Games to include it in their schedule.”
The Government of India, through various initiatives, has promoted Yoga as a competitive sport and as an art and science of healthy living. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has granted recognition to Yogasana Bharat for the promotion and development of Yogasana as a competitive sport in India. Additionally, Yogasana has been added as a competitive discipline in the Khelo India Youth Games and Khelo India University Games since 2020.
It is also learned that Asian Yoganasa, a recognized body by World Yogasana, has already written to OCA for affiliation so that Yogasana can be developed as a competitive sport across the continent.
