Rekha Arya’s ‘Race Walk With Bhakti’ Backs India’s Olympic Dream

New Delhi, August 10, 2026 Uttarakhand Sports Minister Rekha Arya has taken a unique initiative combining devotion and sports to support India’s ambition of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games. The 22-kilometre Kanwar Yatra will begin from Har Ki Pauri and conclude at the Veerbhadra Mahadev Temple, where Jalabhishek will be performed. Speaking about the initiative, Arya said, “I drew inspiration from Lord Shiva that our country’s esteemed Prime Minister has a national resolve that India should host the Olympics in 2036 and that India should become a superpower in the field of sports. To give energy to this resolve, this Kanwar Yatra has been undertaken from Har Ki Pauri in this Devbhoomi with the blessings of saints.” Explaining the purpose behind the journey, Arya said, “Certainly, I have sought the blessings of Lord Shiva that the 2036 Olympics, which is our esteemed Prime Minister’s national resolve, should move towards fulfilment and be completed, and that India should emerge as a superpower in the field of sports.” She said the journey would be completed on foot as a “Race Walk with Bhakti”, with saints, sportspersons, young people and women participating alongside her. Calling the initiative unique, Arya said, “This journey is extraordinary in itself and there is certainly an extraordinary energy in this journey.” The initiative seeks to bring together faith, fitness and India’s sporting aspirations, using the Kanwar Yatra as a platform to express support for the country’s Olympic ambitions and its goal of emerging as a major sporting power.