List of Paralympic mascots

Each Paralympic Games have a mascot, usually an animal native to the area or occasionally human figures representing the cultural heritage. Nowadays, most of the merchandise aimed at young people focuses on the mascots, rather than the Paralympic flag or organization logos.

The unnamed mascots of 1980 Summer Paralympics in Arnhem, The Netherlands are possibly the first Paralympic mascots. But since Komduri in the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea, the Paralympic mascots has been associated with its Olympic counterparts.

List of mascots

Paralympics City Mascot Character Designer Significance Picture
1980 Summer Paralympics Arnhem a pair of squirrels Necky Oprinsen Possibly the first Paralympic mascots when those Games were still called the World Disabled Games.
1988 Summer Paralympics Seoul the "Gomdoori" two Asian black bears The Gomdoori, whose name is derived from the Korean word for “teddy bear”, were the Paralympic mascots for Seoul 1988. While bears are commonly associated with wisdom and courage, the pair is depicted with their legs tied together, symbolising the ability to overcome adversity through co-operation and to encourage mankind to work together peacefully and harmoniously.
1992 Winter Paralympics Tignes-Albertville Alpy a mountain on a mono-ski Vincent Thiebaut Represented the summit of the Grande Motte mountain in Tignes. Colors were white green and blue, to represent nature and the lake.
1992 Summer Paralympics Barcelona Petra a stylized armless girl Javier Mariscal
1994 Winter Paralympics Lillehammer Sondre troll, with an amputation Tor Lindrupsen The name was chosen in a competition and derives from the great skiing pioneer Sondre Nordheim.
1996 Summer Paralympics Atlanta Blaze a colourful phoenix Trevor Irvin The phoenix is the symbol of the city of Atlanta.
1998 Winter Paralympics Nagano Parabbit a white rabbit (1 red & 1 green ear)[1]
2000 Summer Paralympics Sydney Lizzie frill-necked lizard Her frill was shaped like the combined islands of Australia and Tasmania
2002 Winter Paralympics Salt Lake City Otto otterThe otter was chosen because it embodies vitality and agility; and some ancient Native American tribes considered the otter to be one of the most powerful of all animals.
2004 Summer Paralympics Athens Proteas colourfully-striped seahorse Spyros Gogos
2006 Winter Paralympics Turin Aster humanized snowflake Pedro Albuquerque
2008 Summer Paralympics Beijing Fu Niu LeLe multi-coloured cow Han Meilin
2010 Winter Paralympics Vancouver Sumi mythical creature Meomi Design
(a group of
Vicki Wong and
Michael Murphy) 		With wings of a Thunderbird, legs of an American black bear, and a hat of a killer whale in an artistic style of Haida people. Part of Canadian legends.
Mukmuk Vancouver Island marmot Not an official mascot, but the designated "sidekick".
2012 Summer Paralympics London Mandeville[2] drop of steel, painted blue by the rainbow Iris[3] Named after the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire.
2014 Winter Paralympics Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots ray of light and snowflake Natalia Balashova and Anna Zhilinsky
2016 Summer Paralympics Rio de Janeiro Tom plant made of all Brazilian plants Birdo[4] Inspired by Brazilian flora. Named after the Brazilian musician Tom Jobim decided by popular vote.
2018 Winter Paralympics Pyeongchang Bandabi Asiatic black bear TBA
2020 Summer Paralympics Tokyo TBA TBA TBA
2022 Winter Paralympics Beijing TBA TBA TBA

See also

References

  1. ↑ Olympic and Soccer Logos and Mascots, aldaver.com
  2. ↑ Farquhar, Gordon (19 May 2010). "BBC Sport - London 2012 unveils Games mascots Wenlock & Mandeville". BBC Online. BBC Online. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  3. ↑ "2012 London Olympics Mascots launched to the World". Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Meet the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots and help choose their names". Rio 2016. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2016. The mascots were created by Birdo Produções, a São Paulo-based design and animation company
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