Sports Minister lends weight to IOA plea to include Yoga in Asian Games

New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment Mansukh Mandaviya welcomed Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha's move to have Yoga included in the Asian Games programme.
"It is only fair that, in keeping with its wide popularity, Yoga becomes a competitive sport and is in the Asian Games," Mandaviya said as per an IOA release.
The IOA President has written to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Raja Randhir Singh on June 26 to consider the proposal of including Yoga as a sport in the Asian Games.
"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 in popularity around the world and is ready as a competitive sport with its own code of points and distinct events," he said.
"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," he concluded.
The Government of India, through its different initiatives, has promoted Yoga as a competitive sport as well as an art & 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 over the last many editions of Khelo India Youth Games & Khelo India University Games since 2020.
It is also learned that Asian Yoganasa, a recognised body by World Yogasana, has already written to OCA for affiliation so that Yogasana can be developed as a competitive sport across the continent. (ANI)