Odisha’s capital city Bhubaneswar is set to organise India’s first National Yogasana Championship from 11 to 13 November 2021. It will be organised by the National Yogasana Sports Federation (NYSF), in association with the Odisha government.
Bhubaneswar has already made a name for itself in the sporting world having hosted global events in Hockey and other sports. The city is now gearing up to host this unique competition.
Over 500 bright and young Yogasana athletes from across 30 states will participate in the event. The event is being organised to promote yoga and create a global brand around it, portraying it as a competitive sport with high standards and benchmarks.
It will be a building block supporting India’s vision to make Yogasana a sport with an Olympic roadmap. The National Yogasana Sports Federation (recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India) is consistently building a strong culture of fitness, competition, well-being, and growth through the practice and development of Yogasana.
“Sports has always been a priority sector for Odisha Government and under the leadership of visionary Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, the state has taken significant strides for the development and promotion of Sports. Today the world has recognised the state as India’s Sporting Capital,” said Tusharkanti Behera, State Sports Minister.
“Yoga has become increasingly popular in recent years and is one of the most popular and trending forms of exercise in the world. It is time for India to take Yogasana as a competitive sport on the global sports stage. Inspired by the great success of nurturing Indian hockey and other indigenous sports, now we see huge potential in promoting and nurturing Yogasana as a sport,” he added.
Earlier, Yogasana was included as a sport for male and female participants in the Khelo India Youth Games, 2021.