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It's only sixteen months to go, and along with a giant countdown board installed in Vancouver residents and visitors of British Columbia keep stumbling into strange funny creatures who turn out to be the official mascots of the Winter Games 2010.
The tradition of using mascots to represent the Games began in 1972 in Munchen. Organizers usually create two official mascots to keep up the Olympic spirit, but Vancouver 2010 will have three of them: Miga, Quatchi and Sumi are three adorable creatures whose looks and characters were inspired by Canadian wild life animals as well as myths and legends. Each character was given its own personality and a set of habits and preferences. The mascots are manly targeted to appeal to children and promote Olympic spirit among aspiring athletes. So who are they?
Miga is a young sea bear, part Kermode bear, an incredibly rare species that lives only in British Columbia. Miga loves windsurfing, but in winter she prefers snowboard which is her main passion. She dreams about participating in Winter Olympics; in the meantime she will represent them along with her new friend Quatchi.
Quatchi is a bit clumsy, a bit shy, but a very kind and friendly sasquatch (some people also know him as Bigfoot) who lives in the mysterious forests of Canada. Sasquatches are quite common in legends of native peoples; they are also characters used to discipline mischievous children, but kids should not be afraid of Quatchi! He loves hockey and dreams of becoming a first-class goalie. Despite his timidity he loves meeting new people, making friends and play hockey with them all day long.
Sumi is a mythological being, a spirit and a guardian of forests, animals and birds. His appearance combines features of orca whale, black bear and a supernatural thunderbird; Sumi represents diversity and multiculturalism of Canada. He is a big fan of Paralympic Games that he is honoured to represent in 2010, and in his spare time he tries to participate in all possible sports so the time would go faster. His passion and the main goal is to preserve the nature and animal diversity in British Columbia.
And finally there is Mukmuk! Not an official mascot, but their official sidekick, a wonderful island marmot who is always there to cheer for friends, to enjoy spectacular sports and to eat a lot! According to the creators, Mukmuk’s appearance is unprecedented; he plays no official role but to show up and entertain… and the public loves him so far!
The underlying goal of mascots is to represent the host country’s famous trait of multiculturalism and to demonstrate what Canada has to offer in general. It is a very important step in preparation for the upcoming games as the mascots will become not only the Olympic symbols, but parts of Canadian culture for long after the Olympics are over.
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