Yoga will soon be introduced in Saudi Arabia schools as a sport
March 14, 2022, 8:09 am

Yoga will soon be introduced in Saudi Arabia schools as a sport

Yoga practitioner (File photo: Pixabay)

The Arab News reported, the president of the Saudi Yoga Committee, Nouf Al-Marwaai, has said that Yoga will soon be introduced to schools in the Kingdom as a sport.

Al-Marwaai said there was cooperation with the Ministry of Education to introduce yoga to all schools in the country as part of the curriculum due to its multitude of health benefits.

Earlier this week, on March 9, there was an introductory lecture highlighting the cooperation between the SYC and the Saudi School Sports Federation and what would transpire from the nationwide collaboration on the future of yoga in schools.

The Ministry of Commerce approved the teaching and practice of yoga as a sport in the Kingdom in Nov. 2017.

Al-Marwaai also said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that yoga was expanding in the Kingdom due to its significance for mental and physical health.

The Arab Yoga Foundation was founded and established in 2006 by Al-Marwaai, the first Saudi yogacharya (certified yoga instructor).

It was recognized by the Yoga Alliance and International Yoga Federation in 2009.

The AYF educates people and society about the health benefits of yoga, promoting it through courses, seminars and conferences.

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Earlier this year, in January, more than 1,000 people from across Saudi Arabia went to the country’s first yoga festival.

It was held in Juman Park, King Abdullah Economic City.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.