Much has already changed, both in the organization of sporting events and in the types of sports. One thing remains unchanged - the Games always have a symbol. Athletes participated in competitions, won, lost, showed their best results, gave their all at the moment when they saw the idea, felt the spirit that was inherent in the Olympics. And this factor has survived to this day, when it is impossible to even imagine the World Games without a mascot. And the organizers are already beginning to gradually involve ordinary viewers in the process of choosing the main symbol. And this step is successful. However, it is worth describing in more detail what embodiment the symbol of the Olympics carries.
What is hidden under the talismans?
Almost everyone knows the mascots of the 2014 Olympic Games. What are they? Mascots mean the ideological embodiment of the thoughts of the organizers, values and meanings that need to be demonstrated. It is in this regard that each successive Olympic Games has its own, unique mascots. Throughout the existence of the competition, animals, various dolls, characters from fairy tales, etc. acted as ideological inspirers.
How have the mascots changed?
If earlier, mainly, representatives of the fauna of a certain area acted as mascots, then by the end of the twentieth century, heroes of myths and fairy tales began to be chosen as symbols of the Olympics. However, each of the characters was bright and memorable. They reflected the history of the place where the sporting events took place. And I must say that the game symbols coped with their task 100 percent.
What should a good symbol be?
Any good mascot must have flexibility. It is necessary to make it in such a way that it looks great not only in printed publications and electronic resources, but also looks great from the position of a plush toy. After all, after watching the World Games, many will want to purchase a mascot and place it in their home. Therefore, he should cause joy by his appearance alone.
Memorable Bear for everyone
Today, many remember the symbol that was characteristic of the 1980 Olympics, which took place in Moscow. Absolutely all residents of the former USSR remember him. We are talking about “our affectionate Misha.” By the way, he also had an official name. Everyone knew him as Mikhail Potapych Toptygin. However, it is worth talking about new symbols that have become known to many not so long ago. Since time passes inexorably, we should talk in more detail about the new mascots of the 2014 Olympic Games, as well as highlight the process of their selection.
Procedure for selecting the best symbol
It should immediately be noted that the choice was not easy. It lasted for quite a long period of time. Voting began in 2008. Then in March, Sochi residents opted for a dolphin on skis, created by an artist living in Yaroslavl. However, after the votes were made public, it was decided that the mascots for the 2014 Olympic Games would be chosen in 2011, but not before.
Start of the competition
In September 2010, a competition began in which absolutely everyone could fully participate. The contestant had to provide an image of the mascot in the form in which he imagines it. The results were enormous in scale. The organizing committee accepted about 24 thousand works from those people who were not only in Russia, but also abroad.
Images were posted on the official Olympics website. Each visitor could vote for the mascot he liked. At the end of 2011, options were announced. The mascots of the 2014 Olympic Games had to be chosen from the 10 best entries. The list of contenders for victory included the sun, bunny, bullfinch, leopard, little ray, polar bear, snowflake, etc.
Voting stage and demonstration of Olympic symbols
Also in 2011, using free SMS voting and the TV program “Talismania. Sochi 2014. Final”, the choice was made in favor of the symbols of the main event of this year. At the very beginning of the program, a brief description of each character was demonstrated. In addition, the mascots of the 2014 Olympic Games were showcased by pop stars. Natalya Varley played the role of the polar bear. The bunny was Dmitry Bilan. The bullfinch, accordingly, became the team “Ivanushki International”. This is not to say that the idea did not please us with its originality. She was received very well by the public. According to the voting results, more than a million calls and messages were recorded.
Winners Announcement
First of all, it was decided to announce those symbols that will commemorate the Paralympic Games. As a result of large-scale voting, they became a snowflake and a ray, or, as they were demonstrated differently, a snow-white girl and a fiery bright boy. After this, it became known which mascots of the 2014 Olympic Games were chosen as a result of voting. The first, second and third places were shared by the bear and the bunny, respectively.
However, here too the organizers managed to surprise. No one even guessed that the Sochi Olympics would be represented simultaneously by three mascots. However, that’s how it turned out. And today, all the attributes of these sports games are decorated with images of these three heroes.
The winter 2014 mascots were chosen very symbolically. The number of heroes meant the three athletes who took three prizes; the white color symbolized that the games were taking place in winter. Now it’s worth taking a closer look at a brief description of our heroes who were able to become the winners of the vote.
A brief description of each talisman
So, the first mascot (Leopard) of the 2014 Olympic Games. What is his biography? The hero lives on the snow-capped mountains of the Caucasus, which are distinguished by their height. His house is located on the same tall trees. The author implied that Leopard is a snowboarder and climber. He can always come to the aid of those who are in trouble. The hero has a cheerful character and simply loves to dance. He loves when people call him something that completely suits his appearance. The author of this hero, Pak V., lives in the city of Nakhodka.
The mascot of the 2014 Olympic Games is a white bear. The hero, whose main character trait is good nature, lives in the North, in the region that is located beyond the Arctic Circle. The cute polar bear's house has a snow-covered bed, the same computer and exercise equipment. From early childhood he was raised by harsh polar explorers. It was they who taught the bear to play curling and skate and ski. And most of all our hero loved the sports sled. The bear and his friends often organize various competitions during particularly long polar nights. The author Serdechny O. lives in Sochi.
The mascot of the 2014 Olympic Games - Bunny - is not just a beauty. She is also an excellent student. Our heroine, naturally, studies at the Forest Academy. In addition, she is her mother's main assistant at work in a small restaurant called Lesnaya Zapruda. And most of all, the bunny loves sports games and competitions. The author lives in the village of Novoe Buyanovo, in the Chuvash Republic.
Paralympic symbols of victory
These were the mascots of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. However, we must not forget about the symbols that are characteristic of the Paralympic Games, held in the same city. These competitions are the culmination of a four-year sports cycle for Paralympians. And other participants in this movement are watching such games with bated breath.
The Paralympic Games today are rightfully considered the most prestigious competitions for those athletes who have disabilities. The selection of participants takes place during world, regional and national competitions.
The appearance of the Paralympic mascot
The Paralympic Games symbol first appeared at the Turin Games in 2006. As a unique logo, it was decided to use the image of three hemispheres in the following colors: red, blue and green, located around one central point. With the help of this symbol, the organizers reflected the entire character, resilience and courage of athletes with disabilities, who conquered the whole world with their actions. Colors refer to the mind, body and spirit.
Brief description of the winners
The Ray talisman symbolizes a fiery, simply amber boy who came to Earth from another planet. It is always very hot in his home. However, the boy himself has a sweet character and makes new friends quite easily. It was they who taught him to ski and play hockey. The author of the symbol, Balashova N., lives in Moscow.
The Snowflake talisman is light and weightless. As she spins, she gives you the feeling of dancing with her many girlfriends. The snow girl flew to Earth on an icy comet. And it was here that she fell in love with sports like freestyle and figure skating. The author - Zhilinskaya A. lives in St. Petersburg.
Conclusion
Absolutely all of these symbols, which fully characterize the Olympic Games held in Sochi in 2014, can be easily purchased in almost any store. With the help of mascots, the spirit of the country that organized the World Games was reflected. They increase the significance of a global event and its festive atmosphere. In addition, they, as it turned out, brought a lot of luck to the athletes. And the fans, accordingly, were given a feeling of joy and happiness.
Russia has become the host country for athletes from all over the world for the Olympics for the second time. in 1980, Russia hosted the Olympics for the first time in Moscow - these were the 22nd Summer Olympic Games. The lucky mascot of the Summer Moscow Olympics was the bear cub Misha, who flew off into the cloudless sky in a hot air balloon on the closing day of the Olympics.
For the second time, Russia has the honor of hosting athletes from all over the world at the Olympics. At the 119th IOC session in Guatemala, it was decided to choose the Russian city of Sochi to host the Winter Olympic sports competitions. The Winter Olympic Games planned by the International Olympic Committee will be held in Sochi from February 7 to February 23, 2014
Not only the Black Sea resort of Sochi, but the whole country is preparing for the main sports festival. The scale of construction that unfolded in the city of Sochi and in nearby cities and towns of the Krasnodar Territory is enormous.
Not only members of the IOC commission, but all Sochi residents see with their own eyes how quickly and efficiently the construction of Olympic facilities is proceeding - the Ice Palace, the mountain tourism center, the winter sports palace, the arena and many others.
The old highways of the Krasnodar Territory have been expanded and new roads leading to the Olympic venues have been laid, new sports hotels, hotels, and cottages in Sochi have been built, which are ready to accommodate both athletes and fans of the future Winter Olympics.
What will be the main mascot of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi? This issue was actively discussed throughout Russia; thousands of drawings of future mascots made by both professional artists and amateurs appeared on the pages of the Internet and the media.
The Olympic mascot must reflect the motto of the Olympic movement - “Citius, Altius, Fortius!" - and the very principle of the Olympics, which was defined in 1896 by Pierre de Coubertin:“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not victory, but participation, just as in life, the most important thing is not triumph, but struggle.”
Since childhood, she seems to us to be an inhabitant of the North Pole and the polar Arctic. A strong, fast and graceful animal can easily be the winner of curling, bobsleigh, luge, and speed skating and skiing competitions.
The second character is no less interesting - graceful, light and flexible. snow leopard.
In the animal world, this is the fastest animal, its running speed is 16 - 18 meters per second. For him, 8-10-meter long jumps and 4-meter high jumps are easy and common. The leopard is the most perfect cat living in the Caucasus mountains; it easily and freely climbs rocks and trees as if it were on the ground.
While inferior to the lion and tiger in size, the leopard always wins in agility and swiftness of movements, it has an instant reaction and a lightning-fast attack.
Hare They love him for his easy-going and cheerful disposition and his willingness to always come to the rescue. It is known that in the wild, female hares will always feed not only their own, but also other people’s hares left without a mother. The hare knows how to make friends, care and win over.
In the Sochi House of Olympic Mascots, guests of the Olympics will get acquainted with Ray and Snowflake - mascots
On February 26, the symbol of the 2014 Sochi Olympics was chosen by SMS voting. . Just like at the Olympic Games in Vancouver, 3 mascots won the competition. The Olympic symbols were a polar bear, a leopard and a hare.
GEO magazine expressed its opinion on the important role of the Olympic mascot. According to the publication, the symbol should bring good luck to the competition participants, create a festive atmosphere and reflect the spirit of the country in which the games are taking place. Usually, the role of a mascot is an image of an animal, the most famous and revered in the country that hosts the Olympic Games, or a fictional creature.
Got 3rd place Bunny(created by Silvia Petrova from Chuvashia, Yantikovsky district, village of Novoye Buyanovo) - 16.4% of votes
Dmitry Chernyshenko (President of the Organizing Committee) noted that for the first time in the history of the Olympics, symbols for the games were chosen by the entire country. According to the Olympic principle, it was decided to choose 3 characters - the winners of the popular vote. Our country chose the Bunny, the Polar Bear and the Leopard, and these mascots of the Sochi 2014 Olympics have already gone down in the history of the world Olympic movement.
Olympic mascot - leopard Barsik
The friendly and cheerful leopard Barsik will always come to the rescue. In the qualifying round of the competition it was said that this character helps people from Caucasian villages escape from avalanches. This mountaineer rescuer loves snowboarding, dancing and doesn't like to be alone.
The leopard was nominated for a competition in Sochi in November 2010 (in Krasnaya Polyana). In addition, it is worth drawing an analogy between the leopard Barsik and the symbol of the Universiade in Kazan 2013 - the snow leopard named Yuni.
V.V. himself Putin (at that time the Prime Minister of Russia) cast his vote for the leopard Barsik.
Olympic mascot - polar bear Pole
The second finalist of the competition, which selected the mascots of the Sochi 2014 Olympics, was a good-natured polar bear.
Its creator, Oleg Serdechny, told the story of this character: a polar bear living in the Arctic Circle was raised by polar explorers. Thanks to them, he absorbed a love for sports. Mishka is a fan of bobsleigh, loves sledding, knows how to skate and ski, loves to play curling and run. Sports drive helps him in his quest to conquer new heights.
The polar bear gets along well with children and is always ready to give them his care and attention. His flexible disposition and kindness make the White Bear similar to his predecessor, the symbol of the 1980 Olympics.
At the Talismania show, Polyus sang the famous song “Somewhere in the White World” together with Natalya Varleya.
Olympic mascot - Bunny
The purposeful and active Bunny was created by a young artist from the Chuvash Republic, Silvia Petrova.
Sylvia is in the eleventh grade, she happily described the character of the character she had invented and said that her cheerful and optimistic heroine plays sports, is an excellent student and helps her mother in the work of a family restaurant called “Lesnaya Zapruda”. Bunny's favorite sport is figure skating.
At the mascot competition, Zaika, paired with Dima Bilan, performed the song “About Hares”, won the hearts of the audience and took an honorable 3rd place. So the Bunny became the last symbol of the upcoming Olympics.
The organizers noted that the selected symbols of the Sochi 2014 Olympics (photos of which we can now see on all kinds of souvenirs) are excellent athletes.
Bear is an excellent sledder and will help bobsledders, Leopard is an experienced snowboarder who is ready to share his experience with all his friends, and the cheerful figure skater Bunny will help create a festive atmosphere during the Olympic Games.
The three mascots were not chosen by chance, because there are exactly 3 places on the Olympic podium, the Olympics have 3 main values (friendship, respect and the pursuit of excellence), and Olympic athletes are helped to win by 3 main qualities (speed, agility and strength).
Symbols of the 2014 Paralympics
But the champions and Paralympic athletes chose the mascots for the Sochi Paralympic Games themselves, deciding that this important matter should not be trusted by public opinion.
As a result, it was decided that the Paralympics would be represented by the winter Snowflake and the Ray of Sunshine.
These 2 symbols are able to convey the beauty of the cold Russian winter on sunny bright days. The characters symbolize harmony and contrast. These two opposites were able to find a common language and become friends, together they overcame all difficulties and achieved great success. The union of Ray and Snowflake is designed to show people that nothing is impossible in life.
The amazing couple Luchik and Snezhinka, to the delight of the audience of the Talismania show, danced a magnificent waltz from the film “My Affectionate and Gentle Beast” on ice.
Home to Olympic mascots
All Olympic characters who won the competition live in the House of Mascots, located on the official website of the Winter Games. Each of them has its own unique character, its own special history and gives preference to its favorite Olympic sport.
One of them loves sledding and curling, the second cannot live without his snowboard, and the third always takes prizes in various sports competitions. Two are fierce predators, and the third is a small and defenseless baby, but this does not prevent her from fearlessly standing next to her unusual comrades. Who are they? What do they have in common?
Of course, love for sports, because all three became mascots of the 2014 Olympic Games, which will be held February 7-23 in Sochi. Their path to glory was not easy: they had to beat more than one opponent and even compete with Zoich himself, but our heroes are not afraid of difficulties. Every day they have to meet with an enemy that is much more terrible - the winter cold, and it does not tolerate carelessness and frivolity.
The Polar Bear lives in the Arctic Circle. His house is made of snow and ice, as are all the things in it. Bear uses an ice-cold computer, a cold bed and a snow shower. But he is not at all afraid of the cold - our athlete does not even suspect the existence of summer heat, because he grew up here.
Once upon a time, Polar Bear was sheltered by polar explorers, who taught him to ski and skate. However, what this unusual athlete loved most was sledding. He became an excellent luger and bobsledder, whose victories are joyfully watched by his loyal friends seals and fur seals.
Leopard works as a mountain rescue climber. He is not at all afraid of heights and even settled in the crown of a huge tree growing on one of the highest cliffs in the Caucasus. He will never refuse help, as the residents of the nearest village, whom he repeatedly saved from unpredictable snow avalanches, were convinced of.
Leopard rarely parts with his favorite snowboard and even taught this sport to his inquisitive friends and neighbors. He is cheerful and playful, like any representative of the cat tribe, and simply loves fiery dances.
But little Bunny has not yet decided what her profession will be, but she knows for sure that she will connect her life with her favorite sport. While she is studying with excellent marks at the Forest Academy and diligently helps her mother in their small family restaurant called “Forest Dam”, where it is always cozy and fun. And, of course, he never gives up singing and dancing.
The current mascots were chosen, as they say, “by the whole world.” The final results were announced on February 26, 2011 on Channel One. In the TV show “Talismania. Sochi 2014. Final” announced that 1.4 million votes of television viewers who expressed their opinions were taken into account. Leopard received 28.2% of the votes, Polar Bear - 18.3%, and Bunny - 16.4%.
Of course, not everyone agreed with this choice. For example, in an alternative vote on the social networks VKontakte and Facebook, Bunny did not make the selection, giving her place to Santa Claus, and the residents of Sochi themselves preferred Dolphin on skis, which was announced back in 2008.
Most of all, critics do not like the round head of the Polar Bear and its resemblance to the 1980 Olympics mascot Misha, which the artist Viktor Chizhikov himself does not deny. In addition, many believe that the Leopard should not be white, because then it strongly resembles Leopard, which, as is known, never lived in the Caucasus.
However, the job is done. According to Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, Leopard, Polar Bear and Bunny “have already become part of the history of the world Olympic movement!”