Gold sweat for Olympic bikram

The 90 minutes yoga in rooms heated to over 40 degrees (Getty Images)

It's tough, it's hugely popular and its leading practitioners are fitter than butchers' dogs. But is Bikram yoga (the one that is performed for 90 minutes in rooms heated to a sweltering 40.6c) set to be one of the new sports to grace the 2016 Olympics? Earlier this year, Time reported that USA Yoga applied to the United States Olympic Committee to be officially registered, with a view to forming an international yoga federation and qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, it's been reported that Rajashree Choudhury, wife of Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram, has her lawyers on the case with the Games organisers. But while those who have endured a Bikram class (I have. And I have never seen so much sweat in my life) will attest to its athleticism, can yoga be a competitive sport? It certainly is in India – and in the US, where for the last nine years The Bishnu Charan Ghosh Cup has taken place. Maybe if we all start practising, we will win a bronze in bending in Brazil...