Al-Wahda Club to host second Saudi Open Yoga Asana Championship

Nouf Al-Marwai, the President of the Saudi Yoga Committee. (Supplied)

• First competition to ever take place in Makkah will be held on Jan. 27
• The entire judging panel will consist of qualified Saudi personnel

MAKKAH: Al-Wahda Club is set to host the second Saudi Open Yoga Asana Championship, and the first in Makkah, on Jan. 27.
The championship will be preceded by a training camp for players led by specialized Saudi yoga coaches, and is set to include male and female participants from various age groups, including youth, adults and teachers. Cash and in-kind prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each category.
Al-Wahda Club has collaborated with the Saudi Yoga Committee to host the second local open championship, supporting practitioners of yoga under the club’s umbrella, and increasing the number of participants in various disciplines that are popular in the Kingdom.
Significant number of participants are expected to register following the success of the first event at the University of Science and Technology in December 2022, in which 120 players — 90 percent of whom were females — took part.
The entire judging panel will consist of qualified Saudi personnel, who have completed the Yoga Asana Referees Training Program conducted by the Leadership Preparation Institute and the Asian Yoga Asana Federation in September 2022.
Nouf Al-Marwai, president of the Saudi Yoga Committee, expressed her gratitude to the country’s leadership for their support, as well as to the Al-Wahda Club for hosting the championship.
She also thanked Omar Al-Madani, director of the Ministry of Sports branch in Makkah, for his support, and the sponsors and all those involved.
Al-Marwai told Arab News that the referees had last year been trained by the delegation of the Asian Yoga Asana Federation, in cooperation with the Leadership Development Institute, and officiated the first local open yoga championship in December 2022 in Jeddah. Mashael Akram also refereed the second Everest International Sports Yoga Championship as the first Saudi female yoga referee to be at an international championship.
“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 said.
Al-Marawi also highlighted that research has proven the benefits that practicing yoga can bring to mental and physical health, as well as quality of life.
The winners of the top three positions will be awarded medals specifically designed for the event — and made from 24-carat gold-plated silver — by the Royal Al-Sharq Jewelry Factory in Jeddah.