The restoration of the National Games will begin in 2022. As well as the government’s push to promote traditional sports across the country. It has played a critical role in their resurgence on a national scale. As India prepares to bid for the 2036 Olympics, there is a rush among all disciplines to join the bandwagon. Whether it’s Mallakhamb, a flexibility competition, or kalaripayattu, a martial arts form native to Kerala.
Other indigenous events like kho kho or yogasana. An age-old yoga practice turned into a competitive sport, space is being made for them in the Indian and global sports landscapes. From their low-key existence in many places, such sports are gradually lifting the standard. The first Kho Kho World Cup was recently hosted in New Delhi to much excitement, with 23 countries participating.
The organisers were keen to announce that kho kho may be on India’s Olympic list in 2036. Similar pitches have been developed for yogasana and mallakhamb. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has designated yogasana as a demonstration sport for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Mallakhamb, a sort of aerial yoga or gymnastics, recently built a center in the Netherlands as part of its efforts to spread the sport worldwide.
IOA’s ‘Olympics-Only’ Medal Move
Kabaddi, which has established itself at the Asian level, will be right up there on the 2036 Games pitch. After Mallakhamb and yogasana were added as medal sports in the 2022 Gujarat National Games. There was a strong push for other regional sports to get national status. So much so that the 2023 Goa National Games featured competitions in a record 43 events.
Including kalaripayattu, sqay martial arts, and local sports like gatka and lagori as demonstration events, with the possibility of elevating them to medal sports in future editions. This time, however, the IOA has reduced the number of sports to 36 for the Uttarakhand Games, eliminating many disciplines. Kalaripayattu, too, has been reduced from a competitive sport to a demonstration event, prompting its national authority to approach the court.
