by Veronica Shine

Created on: November 23, 2009

Mascots have become a highlight of inspiration for sports teams throughout the world and the Olympics is no exemption. Ever since the first mascot, a dachshund named "Waldi" show its face in at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, every time the Olympic Committee announces where a future Olympics will be held, curiosity is peaked as to who and what will be the mascot that represents the games. The mascots of the Olympic Games are to communicate the Olympic spirit, while showcasing the culture of the host location.

The next Olympic Games to be held will be taking place in Vancouver, Canada on February 12-28, 2010.

The theme of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is "The spirit is raised by its passion for sport, culture and sustainability." This statement should remain in the minds of spectators globally and never to be forgotten of what the true meaning of the games are meant for. Three words in this quote, "sport, culture and sustainability," inspired Vancouver to create three different, endearing and adorable mascots to represent the games.

The first character is Miga. This adorable looking creature has that teddy bear look but is actually cuddly sea bear. You may be thinking how can that be? Miga is based upon "Legends of the Pacific Northwest First Nations". In these tales, he is an Orca killer whale while in the sea and transforms magically into a Kermode spirit bear while on land. Miga favors skiing

The second member of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver as a mascot is Quatchi. He is a Sasquatch, which is more commonly known as Big Foot and professes a love for snowboarding and ice hockey.

The third member of this tight-knot team exclusively belongs to Whistler. Whistler is outsider of the city of Vancouver and had dreamed for a shot at the Olympics since 1968, when it lost its first bid. This ski resort town will hold several winter events in 2010 including the Special Olympics. It has taken forty years to reach its dream, and because of determination, Whistler has won the spot for global presence and prestige with its own mascot, Sumi.

Sumi is a guardian spirit and corresponds to Western Canada. As the liaison of the animal world to the human world, he stands for the protection of the land, sea and all living things. He appears as a totem pole projecting all the portions of who he is in spirit of both real and mythical forms of animals.

A sidekick has appeared for Miga, Quatchi and Sumi, that is taking much of the limelight from the mascots. The mascots and sidekick were all designed by Meomi Design, a Vancouver-based company. Many are viewing him as an unofficial fourth mascot. Mukmuk is a rare Vancouver Island marmot and was created as part of cheering squad for his new found friends during the Olympics. Since the marmot is an endangered species, awareness of him is becoming strong as a symbol of the 2010 Olympics.

"The IOC welcomes these imaginative new additions to the Olympic Family as they take their place on the world stage today; a symbol of the Games and of Canada," as stated by Ren Fasel, Chairman of the IOC.

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