Can a yogasana athlete change the routine on stage?
A · Advanced · The sport and its events · 1 of 4Before performing, an athlete hands in a sheet listing the asanas in order, with each one's code and base value. The order cannot then be changed on stage. A change costs 2 marks the first time, 4 the second and 6 the third, and any more means disqualification. An asana that is not on the sheet scores zero.
How it works
- The sheet: the sequence of asanas, each with its code and base value, handed to the judges' panel before the performance.
- Who checks it: the evaluator, who compares it with what is performed.
- Changing the order: 2 marks for the first change, 4 for the second, 6 for the third.
- More than three changes: disqualification.
- A different asana: zero marks for that asana.
- An extra asana, in the music events: 5 marks for the first, and disqualification for a second.
- In a pair: one evaluator checks each athlete.
The glossary has the order of performance sheet, the sequence change penalty, the invalid asana, the evaluator, the asana code and the base value.
Tricky cases
An athlete performs the fourth asana before the third. What is the penalty?
2 marks, for a first change of sequence. The rule applies whether the asana is compulsory or optional.
An athlete forgets the listed asana and performs another one. Is it marked?
No. An asana other than the one on the sheet scores zero.
In an artistic routine an athlete adds an eleventh asana. What happens?
A penalty of 5 marks from the evaluator. A second extra asana means disqualification.
Do the three sequence penalties add up to 12 marks?
It depends on how the rule is read. The text gives 2 for the first change, 4 for the second and 6 for the third. It does not say whether those are added together or whether each replaces the last. This page does not settle it.
Why the rule exists
Judges mark each asana against the key points for that named posture, so they need to know what is coming. The sheet also fixes the base value in advance, which stops an athlete from swapping in an easier asana and keeping the higher weight.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence changed | 2, 4, then 6 marks; then disqualification | Code of Points, traditional 4; artistic single 8.7 |
| Different asana | Zero for that asana | Code of Points, traditional 6; artistic single 8.8 |
| Extra asana | 5 marks; a second is disqualification | Code of Points, artistic single 8.15 |
| Pair events | The same penalties, for the pair | Code of Points, artistic pair 8.14; rhythmic pair 8.8 |
From the rule book
Code of Points for yogasana sports, Chapter 5, Guidelines for Yogasana Events (School Games Federation of India copy, edition not stated), traditional points 3 to 6 and section 8 of each music event. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the national federation's Code of Points (only Chapter 5 is saved).