PM Modi Inaugurates First World Yogasana Championship 2026
New Delhi, June 4 (TNT): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday virtually inaugurated the first World Yogasana Championship 2026 being held in Ahmedabad, describing the event as the beginning of a new chapter in the evolution of yoga and expressing confidence that Yogasana would eventually find a place in major international sporting competitions.
Addressing participants via video conferencing, Modi said the championship, being held ahead of International Yoga Day, offered a “double dose of health and wellness” and marked a significant milestone in the journey of yoga as a global movement.
“Every living tradition enters new phases with time. This World Championship of Yogasana Sports marks the beginning of such a new phase,” the Prime Minister said.
Emphasising the transformative potential of Yogasana as a competitive discipline, Modi noted that every major sport creates an ecosystem of opportunities beyond the playing field.
“As Yogasana Sport expands, new possibilities associated with it will also grow. It will bring new career opportunities for athletes and create opportunities for trainers, sports scientists, researchers and event managers,” he said.
Congratulating the athletes, the Prime Minister said the significance of the championship extended beyond competition and medals.
“No matter who wins this competition, by becoming a part of this important chapter of history, all of you have already become champions,” he remarked.
Modi also urged participants to become ambassadors of the Ministry of Ayush’s ‘Yoga Three Sixty Five’ campaign by promoting year-round yoga practice in their respective countries.
Expressing optimism about the future of Yogasana, the Prime Minister said he was confident the discipline would eventually gain recognition in international sporting events.
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya described the championship as a historic moment for India and the global yoga community.
“The World Yogasana Championship is beginning in India; in its very first edition, 78 countries and over 500 athletes have come together. It is a historic moment for the country,” he said.
Mandaviya noted that Yogasana was emerging as a competitive sport with India leading the movement.
He added that India would seek inclusion of Yogasana in major sporting events when it hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and the Olympic Games in 2036.
“When India hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and the Olympics in 2036, our ambition is to see Yogasana become part of these global sporting events,” he added.
The opening ceremony was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Harsh Sanghavi, and World Yogasana President Swami Ramdev, among other dignitaries.
The championship has brought together elite Yogasana athletes and delegations from more than 60 countries, including Uganda, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kenya, Japan, Oman, Mauritius and the Netherlands, with the aim of establishing Yogasana as a globally recognised sporting discipline.
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