The first World Yogasana Sport Championship will begin today in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The 5-day event will bring together more than 500 athletes from over 70 countries, including US, Japan, Netherlands, Oman, Mauritius, Uganda, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Kenya. The meet will feature multiple disciplines, including traditional yogasana, artistic yogasana and rhythmic pairs across different age categories. The championship includes a wide range of contests for male and female athletes across sub-junior, junior and senior divisions. 

 

Participants will showcase their skills in traditional yogasana, artistic single, artistic pair, artistic group and rhythmic pair events, alongside discipline-specific competitions such as forward bend, back bend, twisting body, hand balance, leg balance and supine categories. Yogasana Bharat, the national federation for the sport in India, is organising the event in association with the World Yogasana and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). 

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the event at around 6:40 PM today virtually. In a social media post, Mr Modi said that Yoga is gaining tremendous popularity across the world. He said the championship has brought together Yoga enthusiasts from around the world. The Prime Minister has also defined it as a significant milestone on the global sporting roadmap for Yogasana. He has conveyed his wishes to those who have organised the event and its participants.