English
Asian Athletics Championships 2023’s Mascot Is Thai Hanuman: Ever since it was announced that Lord Hanuman is the official mascot of the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships being held in Thailand next month, there has been a mood of many delights on social media.
Here, we have some Indian connection to the celebrations as well as a few social media users have shared a statement made by Chetan Chauhan, the former Uttar Pradesh sports minister who, in 2018 said that “the Hindu God was a sportsman and a wrestler”.
Just like in India, Lord Hanuman’s role in Thai culture and Thai sports is a centuries-long phenomenon. This spectacle is attributed to the fact that the Ramakien, the Thai adaptation of the Ramayana, one of Thailand’s national epics and an important part of the country’s literary catalogue, gives a more expanded role to the character.
Here is the essence of the news that has enthralled millions of followers and devotees of Lord Hanuman: “Thai Hanuman has been named as the official mascot of the Asian Athletics Championships 2023, which will be held in Thailand next month. Thai Hanuman features in the Ramakien, the Thai adaptation of Ramayana. Murals at Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew depict him playing Sepak Takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys”.
The Thai Hanuman is an embodiment of courage, martial skill, and strength just like the Indian version of the Hanuman. Interestingly, the Thai Hanuman is prone to mischief.
“As such, the character is a favourite in school textbooks and ubiquitous across Thailand. Murals at Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaeo, built in 1785, depict him playing Sepak Takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys. Seasonal festivals have a pantomime character playing Hanuman as the central attraction. Hanuman amulets are popular with Muay Thai fighters as they believe it gives them strength. Soldiers and policemen are also known to wear Hanuman symbols,” says thebridge.in.
In sports, the 2009 Asian Martial Arts Games in Bangkok, Thailand, the first and only Asian Martial Arts Games in history, organised by the Olympic Council of Asia, had Hanuman as the mascot, adds thebridge.in.
As many as 54 Indian athletes have managed to qualify for the Asian Athletics Championships.
Men: Rajesh Ramesh and Muhammed Ajmal (400m/4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Amoj Jacob (4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Nihal Joel William, Mijo Chacko Kurian and Muhammed Anas Yahiya (4x400m relay), Krishan Kumar and Mohammed Afsal (800m), Ajay Kumar Saroj and Jinson Johnson (1500m), Gulveer Singh (5000m/10000m), Abhishek Pal (5000m/10000m), Mohammed Nurhasan and Bal Kishan (3000m steeplechase), Yashas Palaksha and Santhosh Kumar (400m hurdles), Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon), Sarvesh Anil Kushare (high jump), Jeswin Aldrin and Murali Sreeshankar (long jump), Praveen Chithravel and Abdulla Aboobacker (triple jump), Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Karanveer Singh (shot put), Rohit Yadav and DP Manu (javelin throw), Akshdeep Singh and Vikash Singh (20km race walk)
Women: Jyothi Yarraji (200m/100m hurdles), Nithya Ramraj (100m hurdles), Aishwarya Mishra (400m/4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Chanda and Lavika Sharma (800m), Lili Das (1500m), Ankita (5000m), Parul Chaudhary (5000m/3000m steeplechase), Sanjivani Jadhav (10000m), Priti (3000m steeplechase), Pooja and Rubina Yadav (high jump), Baranica Elangovan (pole vault), Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan (long jump), Abha Khatua and Manpreet Kaur (shot put), Annu Rani (javelin throw), Swapna Barman (heptathlon), Priyanka and Bhawna Jat (20km race walk), Rezoana Mallick Heena and Jyothika Sri Dandi (4x400m relay/4x400m mixed relay), Anjali Devi, Jisna Mathew and Subha Venkatesan (4×400).
The 2023 Asian Athletics Championships will be the 24th edition of the Asian Athletics Championships and would be held from 12 to 16 July in Pattaya, Thailand.
It will be the first time that Thailand will host this event since 1973.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest Sports News on India.com.
