New Delhi
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President P T Usha on Wednesday advocated for the inclusion of yoga in the Asian Games to boost its popularity. In a letter to Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Raja Randhir Singh, Usha urged the sports community to consider adding yoga to the Asian Games program.
The world celebrated the 10th International Day of Yoga on June 21, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. People worldwide have embraced yoga and experienced its benefits, Usha stated. She emphasized India’s responsibility to spearhead efforts for yoga’s inclusion in major sporting events.
Usha expressed confidence that India, as the birthplace of yoga and a global leader (Vishwaguru), could successfully campaign for yoga’s inclusion in the Asian Games and, eventually, the Olympic Games. She highlighted that the Louvre Museum in Paris will offer yoga sessions ahead of the upcoming Olympics, demonstrating yoga’s growing global appeal.
Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya has shown strong support for this initiative. According to Usha, Mandaviya believes that introducing yoga in the Asian Games is a crucial step towards its inclusion in the Olympics. Usha concluded, we need our indigenous sport to be showcased on such prestigious platforms.
