Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday, 28 June 2026, shared Prime Minister Narendra Modi's congratulatory message for Indian athletes who excelled at the World Yogasana Championship, amplifying the remarks from his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.

Context

The post quotes Prime Minister Modi as saying, 'Vishwa Yogasana Championship mein hamare khiladiyon ke shandar pradarshan ke liye main unhe bahut-bahut badhai deta hoon' — 'I congratulate our players wholeheartedly for their outstanding performance at the World Yogasana Championship.' The quote was drawn from Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister's monthly address to the nation broadcast on All India Radio, which has been a regular fixture since October 2014.

CM Gupta shared the clip with the hashtag #MannKiBaat, extending the reach of the Prime Minister's acknowledgement to her own followers and signalling the BJP's institutional pride in India's performance on the global yoga stage.

Policy Backdrop

The World Yogasana Championship is an international competitive event organised under the framework of the Yogasana Sports Federation of India, which received formal recognition from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2020, marking a significant step in treating yogasana as a mainstream competitive sport rather than a wellness practice alone. This recognition enabled Indian athletes to compete under a structured national framework and qualify for international championships.

India's promotion of yoga as a global cultural and sporting export has been a consistent policy priority since the establishment of International Day of Yoga on 21 June each year, following a United Nations resolution in 2014 championed by Prime Minister Modi. The World Yogasana Championship sits within this broader diplomatic and sporting agenda.

Stakeholders and Impact

The athletes who represented India at the World Yogasana Championship are the primary beneficiaries of this public recognition from the country's highest office. A Prime Ministerial mention on Mann Ki Baat — which commands a vast listenership across India — carries significant symbolic weight, often translating into greater public awareness and institutional support for niche sporting disciplines.

For Delhi, a city that hosts several national sports bodies and training academies, the spotlight on yogasana as a competitive sport reinforces the push to mainstream it alongside conventional sports in school and college curricula. CM Gupta's amplification of the message also underlines the Delhi government's alignment with the Centre's sports-promotion agenda.

What's Next

With International Day of Yoga having just passed on 21 June 2026, the period ahead is likely to see continued governmental momentum around yoga-related initiatives, including potential announcements on athlete support, infrastructure, and the next edition of the championship. The formal recognition of yogasana as a sport opens the door to greater funding under national sports development schemes, and public endorsements of this kind are expected to encourage more youth to take up the discipline competitively.