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In the run-up to the next Olympic Games to be held in Paris in 2024, the new mascots have been revealed.
The colorful, fun characters might seem like a cuddly Eiffel Tower-shaped hat, but there's a little more behind what they symbolize that helps connect both Olympians, and Paralympians.
At first sight the little red mascots look rather simplistic and cheeky, but the dome-liked hats actually represent the national personification of liberty, with the famous Marianne donning a Phrygian cap in art.
Revealed as the "Phryges," there's a lot of history and meaning behind the design. As Paris 2024 Brand Director Julie Matikhine explained in a video unveiling the mascots: "It's the French spirit that came to us, this French spirit that makes us a slightly out-of-the-ordinary nation."
Yet, beyond their historical meaning, the mascots are rare in that unlike past mascots, they create very little difference between the Olympics and the Paralympics. In fact, the only difference between the two mascots is that the Paralympic Phyrge wears a racing blade, and the Olympic version has a leg.
The Paris 2024 president, Tony Estanguet, shared at the unveiling ceremony: “ The fact that the Paralympics mascot has a visible disability also sends a strong message: to promote inclusion.”
As with all good mascots, these two share a motto: "Alone we go faster, but together we go further.” And to give a little personality to the mascots, the Olympic Phryge is said to be “a tactician with a calculating brain,” while the Paralympic Phryge is described as “spontaneous and full of energy and enthusiasm," as reported in the Guardian.
While we have to wait another couple of years for the Games to kick off, the mascots are a positive sign uniting athletes who can show their sports prowess with all their God-given talents.
