‘PM Modi Has Been Clear, Yogasana Must Be Treated As A Sport’: Yogasana Bharat Prez Udit Sheth

‘PM Modi has been clear, Yogasana must be treated as a sport’: Yogasana Bharat Prez Udit Sheth (Image Source: IANS)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi: For Udit Sheth, President of Yogasana Bharat and Vice President of World Yogasana, the journey to transform Yogasana into a globally recognised sport is about much more than competitions and medals. It is about creating an ecosystem — one that combines institutional support, commercial sustainability, world-class presentation, and international participation.

At a time when India is increasingly seeking to establish itself as a sporting powerhouse, Sheth believes Yogasana presents a unique opportunity: to take a practice rooted in India's civilisational heritage and develop it into a modern global sport.

Central to that vision, he says, has been the support and guidance he has received from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), both of whom have played important roles in shaping Yogasana's growth trajectory.

"The Prime Minister has been very clear that when we talk about Yogasana sport, we must treat it as a sport. It should not be positioned primarily as a spiritual activity. It must be global. It must have a strong federation structure. The commentary must be world-class, and we must maximise international participation,” Sheth told IANS in an exclusive interview.

According to Sheth, clarity of vision has helped the sport move beyond being viewed solely through a cultural or wellness lens and encouraged stakeholders to build the structures required for international growth. He also acknowledged the role played by government institutions in helping Yogasana establish itself across the country.

"The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has also played an important role by providing support through programmes such as ACTC and ensuring that championships receive backing from both state and central governments,” he said.

For Sheth, those efforts are part of a broader mission that requires coordination between sporting, educational, and diplomatic institutions. He believes Yogasana's long-term future depends on building a sustainable global ecosystem rather than simply organising events.

Having spent nearly two decades working in sports infrastructure and entrepreneurship, Sheth draws many parallels between developing sports venues and developing sports themselves. Before taking on leadership roles in Yogasana, he was instrumental in creating The Arena by TransStadia, one of India's landmark sports infrastructure projects.

That experience has shaped his approach to Yogasana's expansion. "I had the opportunity to work closely with our PM during the PPP era of infrastructure development, and I learned a great deal about his approach to execution and nation-building. We want to bring that same mindset into the journey of Yogasana."

Execution, Sheth argues, is where many ambitious sporting projects succeed or fail. Whether it is a stadium, a league, or an emerging sport, sustainability ultimately determines long-term success.

While Yogasana has seen significant growth in participation, Sheth believes the next challenge lies in making it commercially viable and attractive to audiences worldwide.

"Building infrastructure without a revenue model or a clear utilisation plan doesn't make sense. Similarly, if a sport is not visible on television and cannot keep audiences engaged, it struggles in terms of commercial viability. It may remain a participative sport or even a medal-winning sport, but it may never become a successful television product,” Sheth said.

The statement reflects one of the central themes of Sheth's vision for Yogasana. In his view, participation alone is not enough. To truly establish itself on the global sporting landscape, the sport must create heroes, narratives, and fan engagement that can capture the imagination of audiences.

"As a federation president, I always say that if viewers change the channel, we are finished. Therefore, we must think from the perspective of broadcasters. What does the broadcaster need? What does a documentary filmmaker need? What kind of storytelling do we need to create so that we build our own heroes and fan following? We need our own Sachin Tendulkars and David Beckhams within Yogasana,” he noted.

That emphasis on storytelling and presentation has led Yogasana Bharat to invest heavily in how the sport is showcased.

Although many people associate yoga with individual wellness and spirituality, Sheth believes one of the biggest misconceptions is that yoga and Yogasana sports are the same thing. "First, it is important to understand that yoga and Yogasana are two very different things,” he said.

He explained that while traditional yoga encompasses a broader philosophy that includes meditation, breathing techniques, and various other practices, Yogasana sport focuses exclusively on the competitive performance of asanas under a structured framework.

"Yogasana is a structured competitive sport. It focuses exclusively on the asana component of yoga, where athletes perform different categories and difficulty levels of postures that are governed by a codified rulebook and scoring system,” Sheth added.

The sport today includes clearly defined judging criteria, difficulty classifications, challenge rounds, electronic scoring systems, and multiple event formats. Athletes compete in individual, pair, rhythmic, and artistic categories, with performances evaluated on a range of technical and artistic parameters.

For Sheth, creating awareness about this distinction is critical to expanding Yogasana's appeal beyond those already familiar with yoga. Once audiences understand that Yogasana functions as a competitive sport, the challenge shifts towards making it engaging to watch. This is where technology, broadcasting, and production quality become essential.

Yogasana Bharat has been exploring innovations such as live scoring, enhanced graphics, action replays, and immersive viewing technologies to make competitions easier for audiences to understand and follow. The objective is to ensure that even someone with no prior exposure to yoga can enjoy a Yogasana event. According to Sheth, one component stands above all others when it comes to educating and engaging viewers.

"Commentary is perhaps the most important aspect. I was discussing this with the Hon'ble Prime Minister, and he emphasised that commentary must be world-class because it has to educate viewers while also entertaining them. We are also looking at augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and advanced graphics to enhance the viewing experience,” the World Yogasana VP said.

The focus on commentary reflects a broader philosophy that presentation can determine whether a sport thrives in the modern media landscape. Beyond broadcast innovation, Sheth believes Yogasana's future depends on embedding itself within educational and sporting systems around the world.

Rather than positioning Yogasana merely as a cultural export from India, he envisions it becoming a regular part of school and university programmes internationally. Achieving that goal would require partnerships involving governments, educational institutions, federations, and sporting bodies across multiple countries. "We need to ensure that yoga and Yogasana become part of school and university curricula in different countries. We need to sign MOUs with governments, educational institutions, and sporting bodies. We need to establish academies and coaching structures globally,” he mentioned.

His long-term vision includes dedicated Yogasana facilities, structured coaching pathways, and internationally recognised development programmes that can help produce future generations of athletes.

For Sheth, however, the larger significance of Yogasana lies in what it represents for India.

Unlike many global sports that originated elsewhere and were later adopted in India, Yogasana offers the country an opportunity to contribute something uniquely its own to the international sporting ecosystem.

That possibility, he believes, makes the project far bigger than any single championship or medal tally. "I would like to conclude with one thought: Yogasana has the potential to become India's greatest sporting contribution to the world."

He argued that yoga already forms an integral part of athletic preparation across multiple sports. Elite athletes around the world have embraced yoga to improve flexibility, recovery, balance, and mental conditioning, reinforcing its universal relevance.

That possibility, he believes, makes the project far bigger than any single championship or medal tally. "I would like to conclude with one thought: Yogasana has the potential to become India's greatest sporting contribution to the world."

"That is why I believe this is a unique opportunity — not just for Indian sport, but for India to contribute something truly transformative to the global sporting landscape,” he concluded.

Article Source: IANS