List of Olympic and Paralympic mascots

For promotional purposes, there has been an official Olympic mascot since 1968 , usually a native species of the host region, more rarely a human figure who represents the cultural heritage. The first mascot to achieve great fame was Misha at the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow . The bear played a central role at the opening and closing ceremonies and was depicted on numerous souvenirs; there was even a TV cartoon.

At the 1980 Summer Paralympics in Arnhem , there was a Paralympic mascot for the first time .

Today, many major sporting events have their own mascots, such as football world championships . For many promotional items intended for children, the main focus today is on the mascot itself and less on the Olympic flag or the logos of the organizing committee.

List of mascots

Olympic games

Games	venue	mascot	figure	Designer	Meaning and special features
1968 Winter Olympics	Grenoble	shot	Stylized skier	Aline Lafargue	(unofficially)
1972 Summer Olympics	Munich	Waldi	Dachshund	Otl Aicher	First official Olympic mascot. As a typical Bavarian dog, it represents the attributes of resistance, perseverance and agility required by athletes.
1976 Winter Olympics	innsbruck	Snowman	Snowman		He represents the "games of simplicity".
1976 Summer Olympics	Montreal	Amik	beaver	Yvon Laroche, Pierre-Yves Pelletier, Guy St-Arnaud and George Huel	National symbol animal of Canada.
1980 Winter Olympics	Lake Placid	Roni	racoon	Donald Moss	His face is reminiscent of the athlete's hat and goggles.
1980 Summer Olympics	Moscow	Misha	Young bear	Viktor Chizhikov	National symbol animal of the Soviet Union.
1984 Winter Olympics	Sarajevo	Vučko	Little wolf	Joze Trobec	Symbolizes people's desire to befriend animals. According to the IOC, the mascot caused the wolf to shed its bad image as a fearsome and bloodthirsty animal in the region.
1984 Summer Olympics	los Angeles	Sam the Eagle	Bald eagle	Robert Moore and the Walt Disney Company	USA symbol.
1988 Winter Olympics	Calgary	Hidy and Howdy	Two polar bears	Sheila Scott	Their names express the hospitality of Western Canada.
1988 Summer Olympics	Seoul	Hodori	Young tiger	Hyun Kim	Common component in Korean legends. Was occasionally accompanied by a second mascot ( Hosuni , female tiger).
1992 Winter Olympics	Albertville	Magique	Human star	Philippe Mairesse
1992 Summer Olympics	Barcelona	Cobi	Catalan Shepherd Dog	Javier Mariscal	Designed in the style of cubism .
1994 Winter Olympics	Lillehammer	Håkon and Kristin	Two Norwegian royal children		They wear a Viking costume.
1996 Summer Olympics	Atlanta	Izzy	An abstract figure	John Ryan	First computer generated mascot.
1998 Winter Olympics	Nagano	The Snowlets : Sukki , Nokki , Lekki and Tsukki	Four owls	Landor Associates	Each stands for a year between two Olympic Games.
2000 Summer Olympics	Sydney	Olly	Kookaburra	Matthew Hatton	Represents the Olympic spirit of generosity.
		Syd	platypus		Represents the environment and the energy of the people of Australia.
		Millie	Echidna		Symbolizes the millennium. All three mascots are common Australian wildlife.
		Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat	Wombat	Paul Newell	(unofficial, but became more successful than the official mascots)
2002 Winter Olympics	Salt Lake City	Powder	Snowshoe hare	Steve Small, Landor Associates and Publicis	All three animals are found in Utah and are named for the state's natural resources. They are also important figures in the stories of the Indians. Each mascot wears a pendant with a rock carving around its neck to commemorate Native American heritage.
		Copper	coyote
		Coal	American black bear
2004 Summer Olympics	Athens	Athena and Phevos	brother and sister	Spyros Gogos	Two modern children, which are based on ancient Greek dolls.
2006 Winter Olympics	Turin	Neve and Gliz	A female snowball and a male block of ice	Pedro Albuquerque
2008 Summer Olympics	Beijing	The Fuwa : Beibei , Jingjing , Huanhuan , Yingying , Nini	Fish , giant panda , Olympic torch , Tibetan antelope , swallow	Han Meilin	The five names form the Chinese phrase "Beijing huan ying ni" (北京欢迎你), which means "Welcome to Beijing". Each figure stands for an Olympic ring and a Feng Shui element.
2010 Winter Olympics	Vancouver	Miga	A mix of orca and kermode bear	Meomi design
		Quatchi	A sasquatch
		Mukmuk	Vancouver marmot		Not an official mascot, more of a "sidekick"
2012 Summer Olympics	London	Wenlock	Steel drops with camera eyes	iris	Named after Much Wenlock , where a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games was founded. It also represents steel production at the beginning of the industrial revolution .
2014 Winter Olympics	Sochi	Bely Mishka , Leopard and Zaika	Polar bear , leopard and hare	Silvia Petrova, Vadim Pak and Anatoli Serdechni	Three Russian animal mascots chosen from a series of proposals in a nationwide SMS vote in 2010.
2016 Summer Olympics	Rio de Janeiro	Vinicius	Fantasy creatures	Luciana Eguti and Paulo Muppet	Named after the poet and songwriter Vinícius de Moraes . It represents the Brazilian wildlife.
Olympic Winter Games 2018	Pyeongchang	Soohorang	White Tiger	Jangdongryeon, Jang In gyu, Leeheegon
Summer Olympics 2020	Tokyo	Miraitowa	A figure with blue checkered patterns from the official emblem	Ryo Taniguchi
Olympic Winter Games 2022	Beijing	Bing Dwen Dwen	Big panda	Cao Xue

Youth Olympic Games

Games	venue	mascot	figure	Designer	Meaning and special features
Youth Olympic Summer Games 2010	Singapore	Lyo and Merly	Red male lion and blue female merlion	Cubix International	Allusion to the lion city of Singapore and the Merlion, the national symbol of Singapore.
Youth Olympic Winter Games 2012	innsbruck	Yoggl	Chamois buck	Florencia Demaría and Luis Andrés Abbiati	Merging of the acronym "YOG" ("Youth Olympic Games") with the Tyrolean nickname Joggl .
Youth Olympic Summer Games 2014	Nanjing	Nanjinglele	Gem-like river stone	Cui Xinye	"Lele" describes the sound when the stones collide and also means happiness and joy.
Youth Olympic Winter Games 2016	Lillehammer	Sjogg	lynx	Line Ansethmoen	The name Sjogg means "snow".
Youth Olympic Summer Games 2018	Buenos Aires	Pandi	jaguar		Shall symbolize sport as a means for a better world; was deliberately designed to be gender neutral.
Youth Olympic Winter Games 2020	Lausanne	Yodli	Hybrid animal from cow, goat and St. Bernard	ERACOM	Name is derived from yodelling .

Paralympic Games

Games	venue	mascot	figure	Designer	Meaning and special features
1980 Summer Paralympics	Arnhem	squirrel	Two squirrels	Necky Oprinsen	First official mascot of the Paralympic Games.
1984 Summer Paralympics	Stoke Mandeville & New York	Dan D. Lion	lion	Maryanne McGrath Higgins	Mascot of the games in New York.
1988 Summer Paralympics	Seoul	Komduri	Two Asiatic Black Bears
1992 Winter Paralympics	Albertville	Alpy	Mountain on a monoski	Vincent Thiebaut
1992 Summer Paralympics	Barcelona	Petra	Stylized runner	Javier Mariscal	Was ridden to the Olympic Stadium on a motorcycle for the opening ceremony.
1994 Winter Paralympics	Lillehammer	Sondre	Troll with a lower leg amputation	Janne Solem, Tor Lindrupsen
1996 Summer Paralympics	Atlanta	Blaze	Flaming Eagle ( Phoenix )
1998 Winter Paralympics	Nagano	Parabbit	White rabbit		Bears the colors of the International Paralympic Committee logo.
2000 Summer Paralympics	Sydney	Lizzie	frilled lizard		Wears a collar in the shape of Australia.
Winter Paralympics 2002	Salt Lake City	Otto	otter		Named after the Italian word otto for eight (8th Winter Paralympics).
2004 Summer Paralympics	Athens	Proteas	Colorful seahorse
2006 Winter Paralympics	Turin	aster	Snow crystal	Pedro Albuquerque	Frequently performed as a trio with Neve and Gliz.
2008 Summer Paralympics	Beijing	Fu Niu Lele	Colorful cow	Wu GuanYing	Was chosen as mascot instead of the actual three suggestions.
Winter Paralympics 2010	Vancouver	Sumi	Thunderbird -like mythical creature
2012 Summer Paralympics	London	Mandeville	Steel drop	iris	Named after Stoke Mandeville , the site of the first wheelchair and amputee world championships.
2014 Winter Paralympics	Sochi	Luchik and Snezhinka	Male sunbeam and female snowflake
Summer Paralympics 2016	Rio de Janeiro	Tom	Fantasy creatures	Luciana Eguti and Paulo Muppet	Inspired by the flora of Brazil, named after the musician Tom Jobim .
Winter Paralympics 2018	Pyeongchang	Bandabi	Asiatic black bear	Jangdongryeon, Jang In gyu, Leeheegon
Summer Paralympics 2020	Tokyo	Someity	A figure with pink, checkered patterns made of official emblem and cherry blossoms	Ryo Taniguchi
Winter Paralympics 2022	Beijing	Shuey Rhon Rhon	A Chinese lantern child	Jiang Yufan

literature

Larry R. Gerlach: "The Winter Mascots - From Games symbols to historical and cultural representations". In: Journal of Olympic History. The Official Publication of the International Society of Olympic Historians . Volume 21, No. 3/2013. Pp. 24-31

Web links

Olympic Mascots on the official website of the International Olympic Committee
Paralympic Games Mascots on the official website of the International Paralympic Committee