A Bahraini duo brought laurels to the kingdom at a major yoga championship held in India.
Brothers Ahmed Behzad, aged 21, and 19-year-old Behzad Behzad won second and third places, respectively, at the two-day second Asian Yogasana Championship, which concluded on Saturday.
The tournament was organised by the Indian Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry and held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi. Twenty-one nations took part, including Bahrain, Oman, the UAE and Qatar from the GCC.
The two, representing the kingdom courtesy of the Tamkeen Youth Centre of Qadisiyah, were part of a 14-member delegation with six players winning seven medals in different categories.
The Bahrain team also won the Best Organised Delegation award, while player Sarar Dashti obtained an international referee certificate and licence in practising yoga.
Speaking to the GDN, Mr Ahmed expressed his delight at the final result despite stiff competition and less than ample preparation time.
Mr Ahmed, left, with his medal and an official
“We are both incredibly proud of our performances, at finishing in second and third place, especially considering how strong our competition was,” he said.
“My brother and I would like to dedicate this achievement to His Majesty King Hamad and to the people of Bahrain, and to everyone at the Tamkeen Youth Centre of Qadisiyah for their tireless efforts.
“It was not easy, we only had about four months to prepare. We did our absolute best, underwent intensive training, and we are very happy with the outcome.”
Yoga is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals.
Now practised worldwide, Yogasana was formally recognised as a sport in 2020, with the National Yoga Sports Federation being the official governing body for the sport in India, and the Asian Yogasan Sport Federation governing it in the continent, including Bahrain.
Overall, Bahrain secured 12th place in the competition, endorsed by Baba Ramdev, who is a world renowned proponent of yoga and ayurveda in India.
Mr Behzad, left, and Mr Ahmed ... beaming with pride
He has been organising and conducting large yoga camps since 2002 and broadcasting his yoga sessions on various TV channels.
In April 2022, The Indian Express listed him as the 78th most powerful Indian person. Baba Ramdev honoured Ahmed and Behzad for their performances at the event.
“We are both very happy to be honoured by such an influential individual in the world of yoga,” said Mr Ahmed.
“It has motivated us to hopefully participate in next year’s edition, and we both hope to be able to do even better.”
The Bahraini delegation was led by Tamkeen Youth Centre of Qadisiyah chairman Yusuf Al Dossari, and included delegation manager and team affairs co-ordinator Fuad Darwish, team follow-up and media administrative co-ordinator Aref Al Nawakhda, and administrative and onfield co-ordinator Isa Ibrahim.
The GDN reported in February that Bahrain has plans to form a national yoga team under the umbrella of Bahrain Yoga Committee (BYC).
Set up in November last year, BYC is an independent legal entity under the umbrella of the Bahrain Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, within the kingdom’s General Sports Authority.
There are plans to include and involve yoga schools, practitioners as well as enthusiasts to develop, train and prepare elite athletes, instructors and referees to represent the kingdom in regional and international championships.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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