The Olympic mascots are fictional characters who represent the cultural heritage of the location where the Olympic Games are taking place. They are often an animal native to the area or human figures.
One of the first Olympic mascots was created for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble; a stylized cartoon character on skis named Schuss. The first official Olympic mascot appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, and was a rainbow-colored Dachshund dog named Waldi. [1]
Since the Games in Vancouver in 2010, the Olympic and Paralympic mascots have always been presented together, which was first done in Barcelona in 1992. The Youth Olympic Games, which are run by the International Olympic Committee, have had mascots as well.
Games | City | Name | Type | Designer | Significance | Image | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1932 Summer Olympics | Los Angeles | Smoky | Dog | — | The only Olympic mascot to be a real live animal. (unofficial) | [2] | |
1964 Summer Olympics | Tokyo | Kapa | Kappa | Unknown | (unofficial) | [3] | |
1968 Winter Olympics | Grenoble | Schuss | Skier | Aline Lafargue | Abstract figure with the colors of the flag of France. (unofficial, later recognised by the IOC) | [4] | |
1968 Summer Olympics | Mexico City | Chac Mool | Jaguar | Unknown | (unofficial) | [5] | |
1972 Winter Olympics | Sapporo | Takuchan | Asian black bear | Seiko design department | Designed and marketed by sponsors of the Games. (unofficial) | [6] | |
1972 Summer Olympics | Munich | Waldi | Dachshund dog | Elena Winschermann [7] | A popular breed in Bavaria, it represented the attributes required for athletes – resistance, tenacity and agility. | [4] | |
1976 Winter Olympics | Innsbruck | Schneemann and Sonnenweiberl | Snowman and Sun woman | Walter Pötsch | Representing the Games of Simplicity. | [4] [8] | |
1976 Summer Olympics | Montreal | Amik | Beaver | Yvon Laroche, Pierre-Yves Pelletier, Guy St-Arnaud and George Huel | Beavers are one of the national symbols of Canada. | [4] | |
1980 Winter Olympics | Lake Placid | Roni | Raccoon | Donald Moss | Its face design resembles the hat and goggles used by competitors. It was named for the Adirondack mountain range. | [4] | |
1980 Summer Olympics | Moscow | Misha (Миша) | Brown bear | Victor Chizhikov | The Russian Bear was the national symbol of the Soviet Union. | [4] | |
1984 Winter Olympics | Sarajevo | Vučko | Wolf | Jože Trobec | Symbolizing the desire of humans to befriend animals. According to the IOC, it helped change the common perception in the region of wolves as frightening and blood-thirsty.[ citation needed ] | [4] | |
1984 Summer Olympics | Los Angeles | Sam | Bald eagle | Robert Moore (from The Walt Disney Company) | The national bird of the United States. | [4] | |
1988 Winter Olympics | Calgary | Hidy and Howdy | Polar bears | Sheila Scott | Both represent Western Canadian hospitality. | [4] | |
1988 Summer Olympics | Seoul | Hodori (호돌이) | Siberian tiger | Hyun Kim | Siberian tigers are common in Korean legends. | [4] | |
1992 Winter Olympics | Albertville | Magique | Man-star/snow imp | Philippe Mairesse | The colors of the mascot are based on those of the French flag. | [4] | |
1992 Summer Olympics | Barcelona | Cobi | Catalan sheepdog | Javier Mariscal | Drawn in avant-garde, cubist style | [4] | |
1994 Winter Olympics | Lillehammer | Håkon and Kristin | Humans | Kari and Werner Grossman | Both are dressed in Viking clothes. They are the first Olympic mascots to be human figures. | [4] | |
1996 Summer Olympics | Atlanta | Izzy | Unknown | John Ryan | The first computer-generated mascot. | [4] | |
1998 Winter Olympics | Nagano | The Snowlets : Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukki | Owls | Pierre-Laurent Thève/Landor Associates, Paris | Representing the four major islands of Japan. The first syllable of each name combines phonetically to create the word "Snowlets". | [4] | |
2000 Summer Olympics | Sydney | Olly (from "Olympic") | Kookaburra | Jozef Szekeres, Matthew Hatton | Representing the Olympic spirit of generosity. | [4] | |
Syd (from "Sydney") | Platypus | Representing the environment and energy of the people of Australia. | |||||
Millie (from "Millennium") | Echidna | Representing the Millennium. All three mascots are common wild animals found in Australia. | |||||
2002 Winter Olympics | Salt Lake City | Powder (a.k.a. Swifter) | Snowshoe hare | Steve Small, Landor Associates and Publicis | All three mascots are indigenous animals of the U.S. state of Utah, and are named after natural resources important to the state's economy. These animals are major characters in the legends of local American Indians, and these legends are reflected in the story of each mascot. To remind them of this heritage, all mascots wear a charm around their neck with a petroglyph image. | [9] [4] [10] | |
Copper (a.k.a. Higher) | Coyote | ||||||
Coal (a.k.a. Stronger) | American black bear | ||||||
2004 Summer Olympics | Athens | Athena and Phevos (Αθηνά και Φοίβος) | Daidala Dolls | Spyros Gogos | Two modern children resembling ancient Greek dolls. | [4] | |
2006 Winter Olympics | Turin | Neve and Gliz | Snowball and Ice cube | Pedro Albuquerque | "Snow and Ice". Neve ("Snow" in Italian) is a humanized female snowball that wears red and represents "softness, friendship and elegance." Gliz (a shortened form of Ghiaccio, "Ice" in Italian) is a humanized male ice cube who wears blue and represents "enthusiasm and joy." | [4] | |
2008 Summer Olympics | Beijing | The Fuwa (福娃): Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, Nini | Koi, giant panda, Olympic Flame, Tibetan antelope, swallow | Han Meilin | The five names form the Chinese phrase "Beijing huan ying ni" (北京欢迎你), which means "Beijing welcomes you". Each representing an Olympic ring and Feng Shui element. | [4] | |
2010 Winter Olympics | Vancouver | Miga | Sea Bear | Meomi Design (a group of Vicki Wong and Michael Murphy) | Part orca and part kermode bear | [4] | |
Quatchi | Sasquatch | From Canadian mythology | |||||
Mukmuk | Vancouver Island marmot | Not an official mascot, but their designated "sidekick". | |||||
2012 Summer Olympics | London | Wenlock | A drop of steel with a camera for an eye. | Iris | Named after the village of Much Wenlock in Shropshire – which hosted a precursor to the modern Olympic Games in the 19th century. It represents the UK's start of the Industrial Revolution. | [4] [11] [12] | |
2014 Winter Olympics | Sochi | Bely Mishka, Leopard, and Zaika (Леопард, Зайка, Белый Мишка) | Polar bear, snow leopard, and hare | Silvia Petrova, Vadim Pak, Oleg Serdechny | First mascots decided by popular vote. | [4] | |
2016 Summer Olympics | Rio de Janeiro | Vinicius | A hybrid animal representing all Brazilian mammals | Luciana Eguti and Paulo Muppet | Inspired by Brazilian fauna. Named after the poet and bossa nova composer Vinicius de Moraes, decided by popular vote. | [4] | |
2018 Winter Olympics | Pyeongchang | Soohorang (수호랑) | A white tiger | MASS C&G | A white tiger. The tiger is an animal closely related to Korean mythology, and is a symbol of trust, strength, and protection. | [4] | |
2020 Summer Olympics | Tokyo | Miraitowa (ミライトワ) | Robot | Ryo Taniguchi | A superhero-inspired robot that embodies both old tradition and new innovation. The Olympic mascot was chosen from several designs submitted by schoolchildren and illustrators throughout Japan. | [4] | |
2022 Winter Olympics | Beijing | Bing Dwen Dwen (冰墩墩) | Panda | Cao Xue | With a suit of ice, a heart of gold and a love of all things winter sports, this panda is ready to share the true spirit of the Olympics with the whole world. | [4] | |
2024 Summer Olympics | Paris | Olympic Phryge | Phrygian cap | Gilles Deleris | Based on the Phrygian cap, a symbol of the French Revolution. | [13] [14] | |
2026 Winter Olympics | Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo | Tina | Ermine | Students of the Istituto Comprensivo of Taverna in Calabria | Tina's name is derived from Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the two host cities. | [15] |
Games | City | Name | Type | Designer | Significance | Image | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 Summer Youth Olympics | Singapore | Lyo and Merly | Red male lion (Lyo), Blue female merlion (Merly) | Cubix International | The two characters are an allusion to the "Lion City" label of Singapore, and the Merlion, a national symbol of Singapore, respectively. | [16] | |
2012 Winter Youth Olympics | Innsbruck | Yoggl | Alpine Chamois | Florencia Demaría and Luis Andrés Abbiati of Argentina | Yoggl represents the character of the host city of these games | [17] | |
2014 Summer Youth Olympics | Nanjing | Lele(砳砳) | Yuhua Stone | LeLe is inspired by a unique natural feature of the host city known as the "Rain-Flower Pebble" (also translated as "Riverstone"). The design of the mascot takes the typical shape and appearance of this stone but in a creative and artistic way, highlighting the colours from the emblem's palette. The word 'lele' represents the sound of stones colliding together and is pronounced like the Chinese word meaning happiness or joy. | [18] | ||
2016 Winter Youth Olympics | Lillehammer | Sjogg | Lynx | Line Ansethmoen | The name "Sjogg" translates to "Snow" in the Gudbrandsdalsmål dialects | [19] | |
2018 Summer Youth Olympics | Buenos Aires | Pandi | Jaguar | Human Full Agency | Pandi's name is a combination of the scientific name of the jaguar (Panthera onca) and the relationship of the mascot with the "digital world". | [20] [21] [22] | |
2020 Winter Youth Olympics | Lausanne | Yodli | A cow, Saint Bernard dog and a goat hybrid. | ERACOM | Yodli is a cross between a cow, goat, and the Saint Bernard breed of dog, all of which are commonly found in the Swiss mountains. It was named after yodeling. | [23] | |
2024 Winter Youth Olympics | Gangwon Province | Moongcho | Snowball | Soo-Yeon Park | The character was conceived as a snowball created in a snowball fight between Soohorang and Bandabi. | [24] |
The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) is a temporary hub for broadcasters during major sport events. It is also known as the International Press Center (IPC) or Main Press Center (MPC).
Each Olympic Games has its own Olympic emblem, which is a design integrating the Olympic rings with one or more distinctive elements. They are created and proposed by the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (OCOG) or the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the host country. It is the responsibility of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to approve Olympic emblems for the Olympic games. The Olympic emblems are used in promotional materials, by sponsors of the Olympics, and on the uniforms of every Olympic competitor. All emblems are the property of the IOC.
The Paralympic symbols are the icons, flags, and symbols used by the International Paralympic Committee to promote the Paralympic Games.
The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in Innsbruck, Austria, on 13–22 January 2012. They were the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics, a major sports and cultural festival celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games. Approximately 1100 athletes from 70 countries competed. The decision for Innsbruck to host the Games was announced on 12 December 2008 after mail voting by 105 International Olympic Committee (IOC) members. Innsbruck is the first city to host three winter Olympic events, having previously hosted the 1964 Winter Olympics and the 1976 Winter Olympics.
The 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the III Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Buenos Aires 2018, were an international sports, cultural, and educational event held from 6 to 18 October 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They were the first Youth Olympic Games held outside of Eurasia, and the first Summer Games held outside of Asia and the first to be held in the Western and Southern hemispheres. It was the second Olympic Games held in South America after the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The 2018 Winter Paralympics, the 12th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, were an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), that was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 18 March 2018. They were the second Paralympics to be held in South Korea, following the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul.
The mascots for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Paralympics were revealed on February 26, 2011. A shortlist of ten Olympic and three Paralympic designs had been shown to the public on February 7, 2011.
Lillehammer 2016 was the successful bid by the city of Lillehammer and the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports for the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics. Lillehammer was the only bidder for the games and were awarded the games on December 7, 2011.
The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially the XXV Olympic Winter Games and also known as Milano-Cortina 2026, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 in three regions, with the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo as main hosts.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics, officially the XIV Paralympic Winter Games and commonly known as Milano Cortina 2026, is an international winter multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, scheduled to take place from 6 to 15 March 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The election was held on 24 June 2019 at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, home of the IOC headquarters. Milan-Cortina were elected as hosts, defeating Stockholm-Åre.
The 13th African Games, also known as Accra 2023, were hosted by Ghana from 8–23 March 2024. Despite having Accra as the main host city, the games were held in two sub-host cities: Kumasi and Cape Coast. The games were initially planned to be held in August 2023, however a failure to complete facilities on time and arguments over marketing revenue resulted in the games being delayed to March 2024.
The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, officially known as the IV Winter Youth Olympic Games and commonly known as Gangwon 2024, were a winter multi-sport event, cultural festival, and fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympics held between 19 January and 1 February 2024 in Gangwon Province, South Korea.
Ukraine competed at the Youth Olympic Games for the first time in 2010 in Singapore, and has participated in every Games since then.
2018 Winter Olympics marketing was a long running campaign that began when Pyeongchang won its bid to host the games in 2011.
2022 Winter Olympics marketing was a long running campaign that began since Beijing won its bid to host the games in 2015.
There were a total of four bids which were initially submitted for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics. On 8 January 2020, the IOC EB agreed to award the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics to the province of Gangwon.
The 2026 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the IV Summer Youth Olympic Games and commonly known as Dakar 2026, will be the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympics, an international sports, education and cultural festival for teenagers, in a city designated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Originally scheduled to be held for 18 days in Dakar, Senegal, from 22 October to 9 November 2022, it is now scheduled to be held there for 13 days—from 31 October to 13 November 2026, becoming the first IOC event to be held in Africa.
Tina and Milo are the official mascots of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Winter Paralympic Games. They are two anthropomorphic stoats.
Notes
La elección de #Pandi se debe a la combinación entre su nombre científico que es "Panthera Onca" y su relación con el mundo digital.