Sports or not? Yoga at the Olympics is a delicate saga

The origin of yoga, an Indian discipline encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, can be traced back to northern India over 5,000 years ago. 

Recently, this spiritual activity has found itself at the centre of a national debate after the president of the Indian Olympic Association, PT Usha, made a strong pitch for the inclusion of yoga in the Asian Games and the Olympics last month. 

Usha's remark sparked debates about whether yoga merits inclusion in a highly competitive event like that of the Olympic Games. 

While the health benefits of yoga are undeniable, questions arise about making a highly philosophical activity into an intensely contested sporting event.  

Yoga’s rich history

Yoga is a prominent feature in ancient Indian texts like the Vedas and Upanishads.

There are various schools of yoga, each with its own philosophy and practices.

Hatha yoga, the most commonly practised form in Western countries, focuses on physical postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation.

Over the centuries, yoga evolved from a spiritual practice to a more holistic approach to health.

In the 19th century, influential figures like Swami Vivekananda introduced yoga to the West.

Today, yoga studios and classes flourish worldwide, attracting millions due to their proven health benefits. It adds flexibility to the body, gives strength, reduces stress, and plays a key role in people's all-round well-being. 

It emphasised yoga's wide acceptance across the world. 

Yoga as a competitive sport

The International Yoga Sports Federation (IYSF), established in 2013 in Lausanne, Switzerland, has been instrumental in promoting yoga as a sport.

The IYSF organises national, international, continental and global yoga sports competitions featuring participants from various countries competing in different categories based on age, gender, and style.

These events have demonstrated that yoga can be structured into competitive formats, with standardised rules and judging criteria.

In 2020, the Indian sports ministry and AYUSH formally recognised 'yogasana' as a competitive sport. Following this move, yoga was included in the Khelo India Youth Games.

These games included three types of yoga events: Artistic yoga, Rhythmic yoga, and Traditional yoga, in line with gymnastics. 

Competitive yoga typically focuses on the performance of asanas, evaluated based on difficulty, minimum expression, traditional recommended execution and characteristics of the athletic aspects of strength, flexibility and balance.

The challenge of competitive yoga

Competitive sports require a clear and objective scoring system. While some propose judging asanas based on difficulty, alignment, and execution, others argue that the subjective nature of yoga poses a hurdle.

Aspects like breath control, meditation, and inner peace, crucial to the traditional practice, are difficult to quantify in a competitive setting.

Yoga encompasses numerous schools, each with its unique philosophy and practice techniques.

Harmonizing these variations into a universally accepted competitive format requires careful consideration and collaboration among international yoga federations.

Another concern is the global participation level in competitive yoga.

According to the 2016 Yoga in America Study conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, approximately 36 million Americans practice yoga, up from 20.4 million in 2012. Globally, the number of yoga practitioners is estimated to be around 300 million.

While yoga enjoys immense popularity worldwide, the number of countries with established competitive circuits and qualified athletes in the sport is limited.

Traditionally, yoga wasn't a competitive activity, and many practitioners focus on personal well-being rather than athletic achievement.

Therefore, building a rich competitive infrastructure, organising international championships and attracting a wider range of countries would be crucial for yoga's inclusion in the Olympics.

Also, yoga's wide reach in the world will make India pitch for yoga's inclusion. Yoga in fact is a more dominant discipline than sports like flag football, a sport at the 2028 Lod Angeles Olympics, and Xiangqi, a sport at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Both of these are not as popular as yoga internationally. 

With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowing the host nation to include regional sport in the Games, yoga will be at the centre of India's bid for the 2036 Olympics. 

As discussions continue and efforts to standardise competitive yoga progress, the dream of seeing yoga on the Olympic stage may one day become a reality, reflecting the evolving nature of sports and the timeless appeal of this ancient practice.