Revered Hindu deity and avatar of Lord Shiv, Lord Hanuman has been selected as the official mascot of this year’s Asian Athletics Championships. Revealing the mascot, the Asian Athletics Association explained the reason behind choosing Lord Hanuman as the official mascot of the games.
On its official website, the continental body hailed Lord Hanuman’s loyalty and devotion.
The website states, “As Hanuman exhibits extraordinary abilities in (Lord) Rama’s service, including speed, strength, courage, and wisdom. Hanuman’s greatest ability is, in fact, his incredibly staunch loyalty and devotion.”
As per the sporting body, Lord Hanuman as its mascot signifies various essential traits of the participating athletes like skills, dedication, and teamwork.
The website further states, “The 25th Asian Athletics Championships 2023 logo indicates the athletes participating in the games, skills, teamwork of athletes, showcase of athleticism, dedication, and sportsmanship.”
The Indian epic Ramayan written by Valmiki is widely popular in many Southeast Asian nations. In this region, Hinduism has had a soft influence on cultures, including in Thailand. Ramakien is the Thai version of the Indian legendary warrior King Rama.
The five-day event started on the 12th of July in Thailand’s Capital, Bangkok, and will end on the 16th of July. Around 50 Indian athletes are taking part in this year’s championship under the leadership of shot putter Tajinderpal Singh and long jumper Sreeshankar. The Indian squad left for Bangkok on the 8th of July, from Delhi and Bengaluru.
Earlier, India had announced a 54-member contingent. However, due to injury concerns, a few of the athletes opted out. Additionally, Neeraj Chopra and Avinash Sable will not be a part of the Indian contingent for this year’s Championship. Both of them are eyeing the World Athletics Championships to be held in August.
Considered Asia’s biggest track and field event, the 25th Asian Athletics Championship will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Asian Athletics Association.
On account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 24th Championships in 2021 were cancelled. Around nine teams have taken part in all the previous 23 events of the Asian Athletics Championships including host Thailand. Hong Kong, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and Singapore are the rest of the eight nations to take part in all championships.
