Dec 13, 2023, 03:01 PM IST
Wenlock, the London 2012 Olympics mascot, takes his name from the town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire, which still hosts the traditional Much Wenlock Games.
The Sochi 2014 had three Olympic mascots, the hare, the polar bear and the leopard, representing the three places on the Olympic podium.
The name of the Rio 2016 Olympic mascot, Vinicius, was a tribute to the Brazilian poet and lyricist Vinicius de Moraes. It was a mix of different Brazilian animals.
Soohorang, the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics mascot, took its motif from Korea's guardian animal, the white tiger.
Miraitowa, the Olympic mascot for Tokyo 2020, comes from a Japanese word meaning future eternity. The mascot had a traditional and futurist style, echoing the concept of 'innovation from harmony.'
Bing Dwen Dwen was the mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. It symbolises purity, strength, and also children. In Mandarin, 'Bing' means ice, and 'Dwen Dwen' means robust and lively.
The name of the Paris 2024 mascot is Olympic Phryge. Based on the traditional Phrygian caps, the name and design of the mascot symbolise freedom and represent allegorical figures of the French Republic.