Ahead of maiden World Yogasana C’ship, Sports Min says pushing for Olympic inclusion

New Delhi, May 26: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said Yogasana would be pushed for inclusion in the future Olympic Games roster keeping in mind India’s bid to host the 2036 Games as the sport geared up to make a statement with its maiden World Championship in Ahmedabad from June 4 to 8.
The World Championship will feature 529 athletes from over 60 countries with 114 of them being Indian yogasana practitioners. The Indian squad was picked after trials and is currently undergoing a training camp in Ahmedabad.
“Yogasana will be among the traditional sports in the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad… We are bidding to host the Olympic Games in 2036 and when that happens, our sport should be there on the roster. Efforts are being made by both the government of India and the national federation (Yogasana Bharat) to ensure that Yoga becomes an Olympic sport by that time,” Mandaviya said at an event to launch the World Yogasana Championship.
“Procedure is to have 75 countries as your signatories to become an international federation, after which a plea to the International Olympic Committee can be made for a sport’s inclusion in the Olympics,” he added. (PTI)