Lord Hanuman Being Chosen As Official Mascot Of Asian Athletics Championships In Thailand Receives Mix Reactions

Lord Hanuman is the official mascot of the Asian Athletics Championships which is being held from July 12 to July 16 in Bangkok. This event marks the 50th anniversary of the Asian Athletics Association. Revealing the mascot, the organsation stated the reason behind picking Lord Hanuman as the mascot. "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," the Asian Athletics Association explained on its website.

Further, the Association wrote that the logo of the championships idicates the teamwork, skills of the athletes taking part in the Games. "The 25th Asian Athletics Championships 2023 logo indicates the athletes participating in the games, skills, teamwork of athletes, showcase of athleticism, dedication, and sportsmanship." 

Lord #Hanuman has been chosen as the official mascot of the Asian Athletics Championships, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from July 12 to 16.

The association said - "As Hanuman exhibits extraordinary abilities in Rama's service throughout the adventure, including_ pic.twitter.com/JXdBbZuyls— Dr Gaurav Garg (@DrGauravGarg4) July 12, 2023

'Lord Hanuman' as mascot has received mixed reactions from the fans in India. Some are welcoming the move while others find the usage as an insult to the god. An Instagram User wrote that the lord has been turned into a ‘cartoon’. Others, at the same time, said that great to see Thailand respecting the Hindu gods. There were people who said that Thailand has shown more respect to the Hindu gods than the film ‘Adipurush’.

 

India are fielding a strong contingent at the Asian Athletics Championships including shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and long jumper Murali Sreeshankar. All eyes will be on Tejaswin Shankar too, who will be taking part in the decathlon event.  Jyothi Yarraji (200m/100m hurdles) and   Annu Rani (javelin throw) are medal contenders among women. 

INDIAN SQUAD FOR 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 (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), Abdulla Aboobacker (triple jump), Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Karanveer Singh (shot put), 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), Jisna Mathew and Subha Venkatesan (4x400)