Yoga enthusiasts display their flexibility at a competition. Such events are losing their popularity as most people prefer to practise yoga as an exercise.

Ranchi, Sept. 15: Yoga as a form of competitive sport has taken a back seat after the formation of Jharkhand, though a craze for yoga as a form of exercise remains.

While there is an increase in the number of people opting for yoga-based treatments to keep themselves fit, the performance of the state?s yoga team in the national circuit has touched an all-time low.

Jharkhand State Yoga Association officials said players? performances were much better during the days of unified Bihar. Now, the state team fares poorly during competitions.

Poor career prospects in yoga and the increasing number of people opting for it as a form of exercise have made yoga students take it as a profession rather than use for competitive purposes.

?Neither the sports department nor any organisation takes interest to sponsor participants for this sport,? said P. K. Mitra, Jharkhand State Yoga Association secretary.

?Other teams from states, such as Haryana and West Bengal, perform brilliantly,? said an association member.

An official of the association said: ?Most yoga students are choosing to become professional yoga instructors as the money is better there, when compared to competitive yoga. While many good students of yoga, who had taken part in state and national level competitions, are now based in Singapore and America making lots of money, others are settled in various parts of the country and teach yoga.?

Association members said the organisation is organising an All Jharkhand Inter-School Competition on September 18, it is keeping its fingers crossed over the number of participants.

Mitra also acknowledged that the position is ?not so good? in the national circuit and called competitive yoga a neglected sport.

A senior association member said: ?While Jharkhand lacks good yoga students, who would concentrate on competitions, there are many others who are not technically sound.?

The association was formed in 2000 with Arjun Munda as the president. Although the officials maintain that there are regular championships, at both the district and state levels, participants? turnout is low for these meets.

Mitra further added that neither is there a place where the participants can practice nor is proper attention given to promote yoga as a sport among schoolchildren.

?Although yoga is being taught in schools, a lack of seriousness in imparting techniques, adds to the already bleak situation,? said Mitra. Certain schools impart yoga training in a professional manner and so it does not get promoted as a sport and students do not aspire to follow it at a competitive level, he added.

Further, the lack of sponsors is adding to the woes, said another association member. A large amount of money is required to take participants for any meet and organisations are shying away from sponsorships.

Left with no other option, members of the association have to pool in their resources before tournaments, the member pointed out.