60 Countries To Compete At World Yogasana Championships

AHMEDABAD — More than 400 athletes from over 60 countries will compete in the inaugural World Yogasana Championships (WYC) 2026, which will be held at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad from June 4 to 8.

The five-day event will bring together participants from countries including the United States, Ghana, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan, marking the first global championship for Yogasana as a competitive sport.

Supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Ministry of Ayush, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Sports Authority of Gujarat, Gujarat Tourism, and the Gujarat Yogasana Sports Association, the championship is being viewed as a significant step in efforts to establish Yogasana as an internationally recognized sporting discipline.

Host nation India will field a 122-member contingent. Athletes will compete in six age categories — Sub-Junior (10-14 years), Junior (14-18 years), Senior (18-28 years), Senior A (28-35 years), Senior B (35-45 years), and Senior C (45-55 years) — for both men and women.

The competition will feature individual, artistic, and traditional group events. Organizers will also introduce an electronic scoring system at the global level for the first time to improve transparency and consistency in judging.

World Yogasana General Secretary Dr. Jaideep Arya described the event as a landmark moment for the discipline.

Events will be broadcast live on Doordarshan from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and streamed on the broadcaster’s YouTube channel from June 4 to 8. (IANS)