Saudi Arabia organises yoga championship in Makkah

Following the success of the inaugural tournament held at the University of Science and Technology in December 2022, which drew 120 players (90 percent of whom were female), a sizable number of participants turned up for the second edition Image Courtesy X/@NoufMarwaai

Saudi Arabia recently organised second Saudi Open Yoga Asana Championship at the Al-Wahda Club in Makkah. Prior to the championship, which was held on January 27, male and female participants from a range of age categories, including youth, adults, and teachers, were trained under the guidance of skilled Saudi yoga trainers.

The top three winners in each category received cash and other rewards.

Al-Wahda Club and the Saudi Yoga Committee partnered to organize the second local open championship, which benefitted yoga practitioners under the club’s auspices and drew more competitors in a variety of popular disciplines in the Kingdom.

Following the success of the inaugural tournament held at the University of Science and Technology in December 2022, which drew 120 players (90 percent of whom were female), a sizable number of participants turned up for the second edition.

Qualified Saudi professionals who finished the Leadership Preparation Institute and Asian Yoga Asana Federation's Yoga Asana Referees Training Program in September 2022 comprised the judging panel.

The Saudi Yoga Committee's head, Nouf Al-Marwai, thanked the Al-Wahda Club for hosting the tournament and the nation's authorities for their support.

She also expressed her gratitude to the sponsors, everyone involved, and Omar Al-Madani, the head of the Ministry of Sports branch in Makkah, for his assistance.

Al-Marwai stated that the referees oversaw the first local open yoga championship in December 2022 in Jeddah after receiving training last year from the Asian Yoga Asana Federation delegation in collaboration with the Leadership Development Institute. Mashael Akram was the first Saudi female yoga referee to officiate an international tournament when she officiated the second Everest International Sports Yoga tournament.

“The idea of the competition comes from the expansion of the popular game of yoga in the Kingdom. It is an open tournament hosted by Al-Wahda Club to promote the dissemination of international games and support the practice of sports and local participation among athletes,” she was quoted as saying by Arab News.

Al-Marawi further emphasized that studies have demonstrated the advantages of yoga for both physical and mental well-being as well as overall quality of life.

The Royal Al-Sharq Jewelry Factory in Jeddah will present medals crafted especially for the occasion, consisting of 24-carat gold-plated silver, to the winners of the top three positions.