Ahmedabad, June 4 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday declared open the 1st World Yogasana Championship 2026 in Ahmedabad via video conferencing, telling the gathered crowd that as the sport expands, new possibilities and career opportunities will also grow.

Highlighting the role of the Championship, PM Modi remarked, “Ahead of International Yoga Day, the World Yogasana Championship Brings a Double Dose of Health and Wellness.”

The Prime Minister, in his address, said that every living tradition enters a new phase with time and described the Championship as the beginning of a new chapter for Yoga. “Every living tradition enters new phases with time. This World Championship of Yogasana Sports marks the beginning of such a new phase.”

Highlighting the wider impact of sports, the Prime Minister said that every major sport creates an entire ecosystem around it. “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,” PM Modi said.

Congratulating the participants, the Prime Minister said that the significance of the World Yogasana Championship goes beyond competition. “No matter who wins this competition, by becoming a part of this important chapter of history, all of you have already become Champions,” he said.

The Prime Minister also urged athletes participating in the championship to become ambassadors of the Ministry of Ayush’s ‘Yoga Three Sixty Five’ campaign, encouraging them to take the message of yoga back to their countries and inspire year-round participation in the ancient practice.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that Yogasana will eventually earn a place in international sporting events.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, said the Yogasana Championship was 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. The Sports Minister further emphasised that Yogasana is now emerging as a competitive sport, with India leading this transformation.

“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 said.

The Opening Ceremony was also graced by Shri Bhupendra Patel, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat; Shri Harsh Sanghavi, Hon’ble Minister of State for Home, Sports, Youth & Cultural Activities, Government of Gujarat; and Swami Ramdev, Hon’ble President, World Yogasana, among other dignitaries.

The World Yogasana Championship has brought together elite Yogasana athletes and delegations from over 60 nations, including Uganda, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kenya, Japan, Oman, Mauritius, and the Netherlands, and it aims to establish Yogasana as a globally recognised sporting discipline.

–IANS

bsk/