“As India Prepares for 2036 Olympics, We Will Make Every Effort to Establish Yogasana as an Olympic Sport”: Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya

India officially unveiled the inaugural World Yogasana Championship 2026 in a landmark press conference, marking what could become one of the most ambitious sporting movements emerging from the country’s traditional heritage ecosystem. The global championship, scheduled to be held from June 4 to 8 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is expected to witness participation from more than 40 countries as Yogasana moves toward establishing itself as an internationally recognised competitive sport.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviyapositioned the championship as a defining cultural and sporting milestone for India, emphasising that the initiative is not merely about competition but about taking India’s yogic legacy to the global youth audience through the language of sport. During the interaction, Mandaviya highlighted how India is attempting to modernise yoga’s outreach while preserving its spiritual and philosophical roots.

On asking about the idea of making yoga a competitive sport, Udit Sheth, President of Yogasana Bharat, told Sportscape that “The vision was that introducing yoga as a competitive sport would help young people across the world connect with it more deeply. Once the youth become excited by it through sport, it can ultimately serve as a gateway to a more disciplined and meaningful life. He further stressed that Yogasana’s competitive framework could eventually help the discipline resonate within global multi sport events and potentially move toward Olympic recognition in the future.

Speaking during the launch event, Udit Sheth described the inaugural championship as a “defining moment” for the sport and reiterated that India intends to lead the global expansion of Yogasana through structured sporting ecosystems, international governance standards, and youth engagement programmes. He added that Yogasana Bharat has already developed a strong domestic competitive structure which now provides a platform for global participation.

Another major voice at the event was Ekta Bouderlique, Secretary, World Yogasana, who underlined Ahmedabad’s strategic importance as host city for the championship. Speaking exclusively to Sportscape, she stated that “we could have chosen any other city but Ahmedabad would best serve the purpose as it has world class facilities.” Officials also highlighted that the city’s rapidly developing sports infrastructure, international connectivity, and experience in hosting large scale sporting events made it an ideal destination for the first edition of the World Yogasana Championship.

The championship itself will feature athletes competing across multiple categories including Traditional, Artistic, Rhythmic, and Athletic Yogasana under internationally standardised judging frameworks. Performance evaluations will focus on flexibility, balance, control, stability, precision, and degree of difficulty. Organisers believe this sporting structure could significantly increase youth participation and international visibility for yoga in the coming years.

As part of India’s preparations, national selection trials for the Indian Yogasana team were recently conducted at the Sports Authority of India centre in Sonipat, Haryana, where athletes competed for spots in the final squad. Selected players are now undergoing an intensive national coaching camp in Ahmedabad ahead of the championship.

Officials from World Yogasana and Yogasana Bharat also stressed that the larger vision extends beyond a single championship. The organisations are working toward creating a globally standardised ecosystem involving federations, athlete development systems, international competitions, and long term inclusion in major sporting events worldwide.

The launch event also reflected India’s broader sporting diplomacy ambitions, where traditional practices such as yoga are increasingly being positioned as part of the country’s soft power and international cultural outreach strategy. Analysts believe the success of the first edition in Ahmedabad could determine whether Yogasana evolves into a sustainable global competitive sport or remains limited to regional participation.

Sportscape feels that the launch of the World Yogasana Championship could become one of India’s most significant attempts at transforming a cultural practice into a structured global sporting movement with commercial, diplomatic, and youth engagement potential.

Sportscape observes that if Yogasana successfully captures international youth audiences through competitive formats, Ahmedabad 2026 may ultimately be remembered as the starting point of a completely new sporting ecosystem rooted in India’s traditional heritage.