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Amdavad, Gujarat will host the first World Yogasana Championship from June 4 to June 8, 2026, bringing together more than 500 participants from 75 countries in 12 events. The championship marks the global event’s inaugural edition and is being positioned as a milestone for yogasana’s international growth and recognition. Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya announced the event while highlighting yoga’s deep roots in India and its rising global appeal.
Dr. Mandaviya said yoga was given to the world by India and described it as an invaluable treasure discovered in the country around 5,000 years ago. He said yoga strengthens both body and mind and emphasized that it has evolved beyond a practice for good health into a globally accepted sport. According to the minister, countries across the world are now embracing yoga and making it part of their daily lives, reflecting its widening cultural and health influence.
The minister said yogasana has become more than a wellness discipline, describing it as a growing source of livelihood and a powerful expression of India’s soft power. He added that the World Yogasana Championship offers India a major platform to showcase this soft power to the world and further strengthen the country’s leadership in the yoga movement.
Mandaviya also called on the federation to work toward registration within the International Olympic Council framework so that yogasana can be recognised as an international sport. He linked this effort to India’s larger sporting ambitions, including the country’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games. He said that as the birthplace of yoga prepares to host the Olympics, India will make every effort to establish yogasana as an Olympic sport for the first time on the world stage.
The championship is expected to draw attention to yogasana’s competitive format as well as its broader role in wellness, cultural diplomacy and economic opportunity. With athletes and participants arriving from a wide range of countries, the event is set to serve as a major international gathering aimed at promoting yoga as both a tradition and a modern sporting discipline.
The announcement underscores the government’s continued push to elevate indigenous knowledge systems through global sporting and cultural platforms. By hosting the first World Yogasana Championship in Amdavad, India aims to reinforce yoga’s identity as a shared global practice while advancing the case for yogasana’s recognition in the international sporting ecosystem.
