New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) The “height of cruelty” witnessed in the Pahalgam terror attack was condemned by World Yogasana President Baba Ramdev as sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya inagurated the discipline’s second Asian Championship here on Friday, reiterating his ambition to push the ancient practice into the Olympic roster.

The two-day event, which will feature 16 teams, including debutant Japan, was first held in Bangkok.

The inauguration, which was teeming with officials, excited young participants and curious onlookers as well as families of those participating, had its share of usual chaos as event managers scrambled to put things in order.

Ramdev, who is both a yoga guru and a businessman, started his address by mentioning the Pahalgam terror strike in which terrorists gunned down 26 people, mostly tourists on Tuesday.

“We have recently seen height of cruelty, that is terrorism targetting a religion, culture and a country. I want to say to my Muslim friends that if they want to free Islam from the curse of terrorism, they have to embrace spirituality and yoga helps that. Yoga promotes serenity,” he said in his address.

Mandaviya, on his part, kept his focus solely on the event and stressed on the importance of yoga for humanity at large.

“It is a gift for humanity. It’s our heritage and we are fortunate to have this. I want to make yoga an Olympic sport,” he said while reaffirming his commitment towards the discipline’s growth.

The sports ministry declared yoga a competitive sport back in 2017. It was included as a demonstration sport for the 2026 Asian Games last year..

In the inauguration held at the KD Jadhav wrestling hall of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, yoga and dance were combined into a short opening ceremony during which youngsters performed poses that seemed to push the limits of a human body’s elasticity.

But the colour and lights did little to hide the state of the hall, which looked in desperate need for a face lift as unkempt surroundings made for jarring visuals for an international competition. PTI PM PM KHS