Yoga is one of six sports India is aiming to get into the Olympics in a bid to boost the popularity of exercise.
A committee under India’s sports ministry is considering recommending yoga, kabaddi, kho-kho, chess, squash and T20 cricket for inclusion in the Olympic programme as the South Asian country strengthens its bid to host the 2036 Olympics. Indian Express.
Discussions about introducing yoga reportedly began in December last year, two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed interest in hosting the Olympics.
International Olympic Committee rules allow the organizing committee to propose the addition of one or more new sports to a particular Games. These sports are proposed based on their popularity in that particular region.
For example, according to the Olympic website, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee has included five new sports in the Summer Olympics: surfing, karate, sport climbing, skateboarding, and baseball/softball.
Breaking, a style of urban dance with roots in hip hop culture, was first featured at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018, and following its incredible success, it has been added to the programme for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Flag football, which began as a form of recreation for American soldiers during World War II, is set to make its debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The selection of the host country for the 2036 tournament will take place after 2025, but Brisbane is due to host the tournament in 2032.
Modi, who petitioned the United Nations to adopt Yoga Day as an international event in 2014, announced his candidacy to host the event in October last year.
“India will do all it can to host the Olympics in India in 2036. This is a long-held dream. [1.4 billion] “For the people of India, it is their aspiration,” Modi said at the opening ceremony of the International Olympic Committee general assembly in Mumbai.
“We hope to realise this dream with your cooperation and support. I am confident that India will have the support of the IOC.”
Prime Minister Modi led the celebrations of International Yoga Day in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. In 2014, the United Nations adopted a step suggested by Prime Minister Modi to recognise the benefits of yoga exercise and declared June 21 as International Yoga Day.
