ASMITA Khelo India Women’s Yogasana League 2024-25 sees over 7000 participations

ASMITA Khelo India Women's Yogasana League 2024-25

New Delhi, Jan. 10: The National ASMITA Khelo India Women’s Yogasana League 2024-25 concluded on a high note at the Anand Dham Ashram, Bakkarwala, Nangloi Najafgarh Road here. Over 270 athletes participated in the final stage of the league, held from January 5-7. West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh are among the states that did well. Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, congratulated the athletes and emphasized the growing importance of Yogasana in India, including its inclusion in the 2026 Asian Games. She mentioned that Yogasana is now included as a demonstrative sport in the 2026 Asian Games (Japan), and has also been added as a competitive sport at the upcoming 38th National Games in Uttarakhand. The participants for the national league qualified through zonal championships held across India across last year, where over 7000 women athletes competed. The league featured five categories: traditional yogasana, artistic yogasana (single), artistic yogasana (pair), rhythmic yogasana (pair) and artistic yogasana (group). The top eight athletes each from Under-18 and Above-18 age categories from the four zones of India took part across the five categories. The four zones where competitions were held last year were in Bihar (East zone), Rajasthan (West zone), Tamil Nadu (South zone) and Uttar Pradesh (North zone). https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEmGdKKTUJ9/?igsh=MXMxaWVxYXRjaTBidg== Organized by Yogasana Bharat, the event witnessed healthy competition among athletes from 22 States and Union Territories. The Ministry of Sports, Government of India, provided a prize money of approximately ₹25 lakhs to the winning athletes. This ASMITA Yogasana League, started by the Union Ministry of Sports, looks into empowering the women in Yogasana sport to keep their family fit and healthy. A total of 163 ASMITA women’s leagues were held in the year 2024 which has seen a participation of over 17000 women across 12 sports disciplines. Following are the winners in the five categories are: ABOUT ASMITA WOMEN’S LEAGUE To increase the participation of women in sports by organising leagues in various disciplines and to provide competition exposure to women athletes of different age categories across the country, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), in collaboration with National Sports Federations (NSFs), conducts the Khelo India ASMITA Women’s League/tournaments for multiple age groups. As part of its Sports For Women mission, funding in part or whole for technical conduct and other incidental expenses is provided by Khelo India (KI), SAI.

Mirabai Chanu has unfinished business, says weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma

mirabai chanu

New Delhi, Sept. 18: Mirabai Chanu still has a lot of weightlifting left in her, said veteran weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist, finished fourth at the Paris Olympics last month, missing a bronze medal by the barest of margins in women’s 49kg category. Speaking on the sidelines of the ASMITA women’s weightlifting league in Modinagar last week, Sharma, who has been working with Mirabai since 2014, said: “After Paris, we both discussed the future and decided that Mirabai must continue in competitive weightlifting,” said Dronacharya-winning Sharma to SAI Media. In a tight four-way competition at Paris, Mirabai was edged out by Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao of Thailand for the bronze medal. Khambao lifted a total of 200 kgs (88 snatch + 112 kg clean and jerk) to Mirabai’s 199 (88 + 111) kgs. China’s Hou Zhihui (206 kgs) defended her Tokyo Olympics gold while reigning European champion Mihaela Cambei of Romania (205 kgs) won the silver. “I have been working with Mirabai since 2014 and she is a very disciplined athlete. Mirabai finished fourth in Paris and we both feel that there is some more work to do. We are looking at the next Commonwealth Games (in 2026) and the Asian Games (in 2026 Nagoya, Japan). An Asian Games medal is missing from her cabinet and we will give it all to secure that,” 54-year-old Sharma, who is developing a weightlifting facility in Modinagar, said. The Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023 turned out to be a nightmare for Mirabai. Within sniffing distance of a maiden Asian Games medal, the 29-year-old Manipuri lifter injured her hip and was out for five months. She made a splendid recovery and made it to Paris Olympics as a medal hope. “I did my best and was happy to finish where I did after coming back from the injury,” Mirabai said, adding that she was somewhat handicapped by her menstrual cycle. “It is part of the game in women’s sport,” said Sharma. Saying that league like ASMITA have created a good space for women to pursue a sports career, the national coach said India’s weightlifting future depended how well women worked hard. “In India, women’s weightlifting has a bright future. You have seen how Karnam Maleshwari won an Olympic medal in 2000, then Mirabai Chanu in 2020…I have been in weightlifting for 25 years, I can emphatically say that only women can win us Olympic medals in 2028 and 2032. Men have to really work very hard to come up to Olympic expectations.” ABOUT ASMITA ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women) is part of Khelo India’s initiative to promote sports among women through leagues and competition. As such, the Sports Authority of India supports National Sports Federations to conduct Khelo India women’s leagues across multiple age groups at both zonal and national levels.  ASMITA leagues not only aim to increase the participation of women in sports but to utilise the leagues as a platform for identification of new talent across the length and breadth of India.