The 2023 Asian Athletics Championships will be the 24th edition of the Asian Athletics Championships. It will be held between 12 & 16 July in Thailand.
There has been much rejoicement on social media at Hanuman being announced as the official mascot of the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, being held in Thailand next month. This celebratory gesture takes us back to the comments of former Uttar Pradesh Chetan Chauhan. Chauhan was of the opinion in 2018 that the Hindu God was a sportsman and a wrestler. However, on that occasion, he was being pushed to the comment section on the then-burning issue of Hanuman’s caste. Nevertheless, five years down the line he has been proven wrong. The symbol of Hanuman will be used as a mascot in the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships.
Leaving questions on the intersectionality of mythology and professional sports aside. Hanuman’s role in Thai culture, and even Thai sports, is a centuries-long phenomenon. The reason for this is the popularity of the Ramakien. The Ramakien is the Thai adaptation of the Ramayana. Over the years, Ramakien has become Thailand’s national epic and an important part of the country’s literary canon. The Ramakien gives a more expanded role to the character of Hanuman.
The Indian version of the Hanuman has always depicted courage and strength. Likewise, the Thai Hanuman is no different. But there is a huge change in the lifestyle. While the Indian version is strict and disciplined, the Thai version is promiscuous and mischievous. As such, the character is a favourite in school textbooks and ubiquitous across Thailand. In sports, this is not the first time that the symbol of Hanuman has been used. During the Asian Martial Arts Games of 2009, the Olympic Council of Asia also had the Hanuman mascot. Interestingly, Thailand is the first and only country in Asia to organise the Martial Arts games.
The 1st ASEAN Deaf Games in 2018 also had a ‘Hanuman Noi’ as its mascot. The 2017 Youth Weightlifting Championship in Bangkok also had Hanuman as the mascot. Thailand is not the only non-Indian nation to have Hanuman as the mascot of a sporting event. Indonesia also has done something similar in the past. During the 1997 Southeast Asian Games, Hanuman was used over there as well as a Mascot.
The 2023 Asian Athletics Championships will be the 24th edition of the Asian Athletics Championships. It will be held between 12 & 16 July in Thailand. This is the first time that Thailand will host the event since 1973. The event will be held at the Supachalasai National Stadium in Pattaya. It will also serve as a qualification stage for the athletes for World Athletics Championships scheduled in Hungary later. The previous edition which was scheduled in Hangzhou (China) had been cancelled due to the Covid Pandemic.
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