AYUH BINA UKHWAH DI SINI

Friday, 27 December 2013

MASKOT SUKAN OLIMPIK 1972-2012

Saya kongsikan lagi keratan akhbar yang saya simpan. Diambil daripada akhbar The Star, bertarikh 6
Ogos 2008.
Tadi, saya cuba buat carian di Google berkenaan maskot-maskot sukan olimpik. Namun, tidak banyak
info yang saya jumpa. Yang saya jumpa kebanyakannya hanya memberi info tentang beberapa
maskot sahaja dan bukan semua maskot yang pernah digunakan dalam sukan olimpik.
MASCOT MARATHON

MUNICH 1972
Waldi the Dachshund burst into the scene as the first ever Olympic mascot. Waldi sported pastel
colours to express the gaiety and joy of the Olympics but the 1972 games would be marred by
tragedy.

MONTREAL 1976

Amik the Beaver symbolised hard work and was arguably the most straightforward mascot in Olympic
history.

MOSCOW 1980
Misha the Bear was created by renowned children's books illustrator Victor Chizikov. At the height of
Cold War tensions, the friendly Misha added a softer side to the image of the Russian Bear, and
achieved instant international success.

LOS ANGELES 1984

Sam the Eagle was designed by Walt Disney and decked out in Uncle Sam Attire. The mascot was a
direct response to Misha. Now, who says politics and the Olympics don't mix?

SEOUL 1988
Hodori the Friendly Tiger was a pleasant distraction from an Olympics that was tarnished by cases
of drug abuse and dubious refereeing.

BARCELONA 1992
Cobi the Stylised, Picasso-influenced Catalan sheepdog was arguably the first mascot that was
derided, at least initially. Catalan president of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio
Samaranch was reportedly displeased and even Cobi's designer, Javier Mariscal, was reported to
have said : "It is hard to fall in love at first sight with a dog that looks as if he has been run over by a
heavy goods vehicle."

ATLANTA 1996
If initial response to Cobi was bad, Izzy had it much worse. The name Izzy was derived from "What is
it?" because no one knew what Izzy was. The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening described it as "a bad
marriage of the Pillsbury doughboy and the ugliest California raisin", while and the US press labelled it
as a "blue slug" and a "sperm in sneakers."

SYDNEY 2000
Syd the Platypus, Olly the Kooka-burra and Millie the Echidna were designed to represent water,
air and earth. This was the first Olympics with more than one mascot. Unfortunately, the trio were not
well received and an unofficial mascot, Fatso the wombat, actually stole their thunder.

GREECE 2004
Athena and Phevos were based on dolls, thousands of years old, found at archaeological sites in
Greece. They were named after Greek gods Phevos, the god of light and music, the Athena, the
goddess of wisdom and patron of Athens.

BEIJING 2008
Originally called Friendlies, the Fuwas-original mascots of Beijing 2008- have become and instant hit.
Designed by renowned artist Han Meilin, the Fuwas embody the colours of the Olympic rings and
represent the five traditional Chinese elements-sea, forest, fire, earth and sky. Beibei the fish, Jingjing
the panda, Huanhuan the Olympic flame, Yingying the Tibetan antelope and Nini the swallow were the
names of the mascots.

LONDON 2012
Wenlocks name is inspired by Much Wenlock in Shropshire, England, where in 1850 the Wenlock
Olympian Society held its first Olympian Games, regarded as an inspiration for the modern Olympic
games.The five friendship rings on his wrists correspond to the five Olympic rings, and three points on
his head represent the three places on the podium. The pattern on his body symbolises the whole
world coming to London, and the shape of his helmet represents the shape of the Olympic Stadium.
Mandeville is named after the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. In 1948,
Stoke Mandeville organised the first Stoke Mandeville Games, considered to be the precursor to the
Paralympics.The three spikes on Mandeville's helmet represent the Paralympic Agitos. He also
represents friendship.