Asian Games in 2026 are going to be held in Japan Nagoya. Asian games of 2026 are going to be historic because, in the year 2026, yoga will be included in Asian games. This historic decision was taken in an executive board meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) which was headed by acting president Randhir Singh.
The inclusion of yoga in Asian games still needed the approval of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) general assembly. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) general meeting will be conducted on the 8th of September. If this gets approval we can see the debut of yoga in Asian games.
The story behind the curtain:
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the president of (IOA), PT Usha played a very important role in this development. PT Usha was the one who wrote the letter to the OCA chief on 26th June about the proposal of making yoga part of the Asian game. PT Usha mentioned in the letter that “Yoga has universal appeal and people across the world are embracing it”.
Sports Minister Manshukh Mandaviya further supported the decision of the Indian Olympic Association and its decision to include yoga in the Asian games. He mentioned that if yoga is a competitive sport it will gain more popularity, and only by making it popular we can benefit millions.
Pursuit toward Olympic gold:
We all know that after successfully hosting the G20, the current government is showing keen interest in hosting the Olympics of 2036 in India. If yoga is included in the Asian Games 2026 this will further open the door to including yoga in the Olympics as well.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is doing its best to include yoga in the Olympics. This can be possible only when yoga is a Medal sport in Asian games.
Potential Benefits of Including Yoga in the Asian Games:
Raise India’s soft power
The inclusion of yoga in the Asian Games and the Olympics will raise the profile of yoga in the whole world. The inclusion of yoga will teach India’s ancient glory to the world and will improve Indian image on a global platform. Indian government already recognizes yoga as a sport. After inclusion in Asian games yoga will be considered a sport worldwide.
Booster for economy
The development of competitive yogasna will create a new sports industry in India which will further generate more employment. As we all know Yoga was invented in India. Yoga was practiced in the pre-Vedic era and it was systemized by the great sage Maharshi Patanjli. The inclusion of yoga in the Asian games and in the Olympics will create a compulsion in the whole world to look for Indian coaches and trainers. And this compulsion will give the extra edge to Indian yoga trainers.
Conclusion:
The inclusion of Yoga in the Asian games will open the door for gold in the Olympics. The inclusion of yoga will raise India’s soft power in the world. The inclusion of yoga in the Asian games gives us hope for the Olympics. In the Tokyo Olympics of 2020, India won only seven medals. The reason for this low medal count lies in the low popularity of sports other than cricket in India. The inclusion of yoga in Asian games will raise the hopes of all Indians for more medals.
