There have been Olympic mascots since the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. They are now an integral part of the promotion and commercial success of the Games.
The mascot is a character, often an animal native to the area who represents the place where the Games are taking place.
Year | Mascot Names | Details | |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Beijing | Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon | The Winter Olympic Games mascot is a panda named Bing Dwen Dwenwhich has a "suit of ice, a heart of gold and a love of all things winter sports". For the Paralympic Games, the mascot is a Chinese lantern child named Shuey Rhon Rhon. |
2018 | Pyeongchang | Soohorang | white tiger "Soohorang" and an Asiatic black bear "Bandabi" for the Winter Paralympics. |
2014 | Sochi | Bely Mishka (polar bear), Snow Leopard (leopard), Zaika (hare) | A public vote decided the three mascots, a Polar Bear, European Hare and Amur Leopard. A Ray of Light and a Snowflake were selected to be the mascots of the Paralympic Games. |
2010 | Vancouver | Miga, Quatchi and Sumi | Miga is part Kermode bear, a rare white bear that only lives in British Columbia. Quatchi is a young sasquatch, the sasquatch is a popular figure in local native legends of the Pacific West Coast. Sumi is an animal spirit who lives in the mountains of British Columbia. Sumi’s name comes from the Salish word “Sumesh” which means “guardian spirit.” |
2006 | Torino | Neve and Gliz | The two characters represented a snowball and ice cube |
2002 | Salt Lake City | Copper, Powder and Coal | The three mascots were characters of a coyote, snowshoe and Coal Bear, representing Higher, Faster, Stronger. |
1998 | Nagano | Sukki, Nokki, Lekki and Tsukk | The four owls were collectively known as The Snowlets. They represented the four major islands of Japan. Also the first syllable of each name combines phonetically to create the word "Snowlets". |
1994 | Lillehammer | Håkon and Kristin | The mascots were two Norwegian children, dressed in traditional Norwegian clothes. |
1992 | Albertville | Magique | Magique was a snow imp. It plays with the concept of dream and imagination through its star-like shape. |
1988 | Calgary | Hidy and Howdy | The Calgary mascots were two polar bears, representing Western Canadian hospitality. |
1984 | Sarajevo | Vučko | A newspaper poll chose Vučko, a wolf designed by Slovenian illustrator Jože Trobec. The little wolf symbolized the desire of humans to befriend animals. The other finalists were a chipmunk, a lamb, a mountain goat, a porcupine, and a snowball. |
1980 | Lake Placid | Roni | Roni was a raccoon. Its face design resembled the hat and goggles used by competitors. |
1976 | Innsbruck | Schneemann | A Snowman, representing the Games of Simplicity. |
1972 | Sapporo | none | |
1968 | Grenoble | Schuss | Schuss was the image of a stylized skier, the first Olympic mascot. |