At the 50th anniversary of the Asian Athletics Championship (AAC) on July 12, 2023, in Bangkok, Hanuman ji has been chosen as the official mascot of the Asian Athletics Championship. The sports championship will be held from July 12 to July 16, 2023.
The website of the AAC has said that “As Bhagwan Hanuman exhibits extraordinary abilities in Bhagwan Ram’s service, including strength, wisdom, and courage. In fact, the greatest ability of Bhagwan Hanuman is his incredible and staunch loyalty and devotion.”
“The 25th Asian Athletics Championship (2023) logo indicates the athletes participating in the games, their skills, teamwork showcase of athleticism, dedication and sportsmanship,” the website said.
The Indian team led by the shot-putter Tejinder Pal Singh Toor and long jumper Murali Sree Shankar would look for an impactful show in the championships. The Indian team left for the five-day Asian Athletics Championships on the night of July 8, 2023, from New Delhi and Bengaluru.
Hosts Thailand are one among the nine teams that have taken part in all 23 previous versions of the event, with the 24th Championships in 2021 being cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The other eight teams are Hong Kong, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and Singapore.
Thailand’s fastest under 18 100m runner Puripol Boonson, is one of the top young athletes in the competition to watch out for, Indonesian Sprinter Lala Muhammad Zohri and Japan’s middle distance runner Tanaka Nozomi are some other players who will be participating in the championship.
Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra and Commonwealth Games medalist Avinash Sable will not be part of the Indian team at the Asian Athletics Championship 2023. They are currently abroad and training for the World Championship scheduled in August 2023 at Budapest.
Tejaswin Shankar will compete in the decathlon event, and he won the Men’s high Jump bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 held in Birmingham but has shifted focus to the decathlon recently.
The triple jumper Praveen Chithravel and javelin thrower Rohit Yadav have also pulled out of the upcoming Asian Athletics Championship due to different reasons.
The absence of Chithravel, who achieved three 17m-plus jumps this year, and Rohit, who breached 81m thrice this season and got his best two throws (83.40m in the Federation Cup in Ranchi in May and 83.28m in the Inter-state meet in Bhubaneswar in June) recently, is a big setback for India.
Hanuman ji is a symbol of physical strength, valour and courage. Wrestlers, Bodybuilders and sportspersons typically worship him. He is adored, especially at gymnasiums and Akharas. He is also considered to be the master and father of Indian martial arts, such as Mallakhamb, Pehelwani, Loh-Musti, and Mardani Khel (Maharashtra). His worship is spread to the Indian Army as well.
Soldiers from the Jat Regiment, Rajput Regiment and Bihar Regiment worship him in the Hindu temples located in their cantonments or garrisons. He is also part of the war cries of the Rajput Regiment and Bihar Regiment. He has specific attributes that make him critical to military personnel and training.
Many revered saints in Sanatan Dharma, such as Samarth Ramdas, have been ardent worshippers of Hanuman ji. Saints like him encouraged physical exercise keeping in mind the attributes he has.
The Indian Epic Ramayana, written by Maharishi Valmiki, made it to various South Asian countries because of the influence of Hinduism in these cultures, including Thailand. Ramakien is the Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana.
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