‘Thai Hanuman’ is mascot of 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, image released
As in India, the role of Lord Hanuman in Thai culture and Thai sports has been a phenomenon for centuries.
The mascot of the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships is Thai Hanuman: Since it was announced that Lord Hanuman is the official mascot of the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships to be held in Thailand next month, there has been a mood of many delights on social media.
Here we have an Indian connection to the celebrations and some social media users have shared a statement by Chetan Chauhan, the former sports minister of Uttar Pradesh who said in 2018 that “the Hindu god was a sportsman and a wrestler”.
As in India, the role of Lord Hanuman in Thai culture and Thai sports has been a phenomenon for centuries. This spectacle has been 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 catalog, gives the character a greater role.
Here is the gist of the news that has captivated millions of followers and devotees of Lord Hanuman: “Thai Hanuman has been named as the official mascot of the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships to be held in Thailand next month. Thai Hanuman appears in the Ramakien, the Thai adaptation of Ramayana. Murals at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok show him playing Sepak Takraw in a ring with a pack 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 favorite in textbooks and ubiquitous throughout Thailand. Murals at Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok, built in 1785, show him playing Sepak Takraw in a ring with a pack 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 police officers 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, hosted by the Olympic Council of Asia, had Hanuman as its mascot, thebridge.in adds.
INDIAN CONTINGENT AT ASIAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIP
As many as 54 Indian athletes managed to qualify for the Asian Athletics Championships.
Gentlemen: 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 relay) ), 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 (20 km 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 (20 km 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 will be held from July 12 to 16 in Pattaya, Thailand.
It will be Thailand’s first time hosting this event since 1973.