In 2036 Olympics bid, India to pitch for inclusion of yoga, kabaddi and kho kho

For Some, yoga at the Olympic Games might be a stretch. But not to India’s sports administrators.

As it doubles down on efforts to bring the 2036 Olympics home, India is likely to push for the inclusion of yoga, which has been the country’s soft-power tool, in the sports programme.

Yoga is among the six sports that the Mission Olympics Cell — under the Sports Ministry — feels can be recommended for inclusion in the Olympics. The other five are: Twenty20 cricket, kabaddi, chess, squash and kho kho.

The idea was first discussed last year in December — two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially declared India’s interest in hosting the 2036 Olympics during a meeting of the Sports Authority of India’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC). The MOC includes some of India’s top former athletes, high-ranking federation office-bearers and officials from the Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India.

A six-page summary of recommendations for the 2036 Olympics, reviewed by The Indian Express, also stresses the need to create a safe environment by conducting Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) awareness sessions, curbing the doping menace, making the federations more accountable, focusing on grassroots, developing coaches and referees, and building more infrastructure.

It was also noted that a separate committee will look into new sports that can be “recommended for addition at the 2036 Games considering India’s prowess at it and the rich history for the sport in our country”.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules allow the Organising Committee of a specific edition of the Games to propose the inclusion of one or more sports, which are popular in the region. Karate, for instance, made its Olympic debut three years ago at the Tokyo Games, while Los Angeles included flag football, a little-known sport in the wider world but widely played in the US.

The potential inclusion is based on certain set factors, including the bare minimum that the sport be governed by an international federation recognised by the IOC. Incidentally, during the Paris Olympics next month, yoga classes will be held as an exhibition at the Louvre.

According to the IOC, countries in “double digits” have expressed interest in hosting the Games in 2036, which is the earliest available vacant slot. The 2024 Olympics will begin in Paris on July 26, with Los Angeles and Brisbane scheduled to host the next two editions in 2028 and 2032, respectively.

The IOC has held early rounds of talks with the Indian Olympic Association as well as the Sports Ministry. A decision on the host is unlikely to be taken at least for the next year or two.

India, however, has stepped up its efforts. The 2036 Olympic bid found a mention in the BJP’s election manifesto, signalling the government’s intent. And next month in Paris, an ‘India House’ will be created to woo top IOC members and lobby for the 2036 Olympics.

Apart from looking at potential new sports that can be proposed for addition, the MOC has emphasised several other factors to prepare for the 2036 Games with the doping menace being a high priority.

With the country ranked on top of the World Anti Doping Agency’s list of dope offenders, the Olympic Cell recommended a “robust and frequent doping control program with unannounced out of competition tests, investment in state of the art laboratories and whistleblower protection system”.

In addition, it was also suggested to launch an extensive campaign “targeting athletes, coaches, parents and sports administrators to educate them about the dangers of doping”.

To make the sports federations accountable and transparent, it was proposed to link funding with performance and development plans apart from requiring them to have a professional governance structure, including the appointment of CEOs, high-performance directors and “highest qualified foreign or Indian coaches”.

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