Vancouver 2010 Olympic
mascots
Olympic Logo
-
They are the
advertising
representatives
of any
Olympic
Comittee
staging the
games and
are used to
generate
interest and
in effect
brand the
Games. The
official
logo of
Vancouver
2010 was
unveiled in
April 2005
in front of
over 10,000
people at
General
Motor`s
Place in
Vancouver.
The
multi-coloured
`Ilanaaq,` a
traditional
inuit stone
sculpture,
has not been
without it`s
critics.
Indeed, any
logo setting
out to
represent
the image of
a Nation is
not going to
please
everybody -
just ask
London 2012.
John Furlong
explained:
"As Vanoc
relies on
partnerships
and a shared
vision to
deliver the
Games, so
does our
emblem. Each
stone relies
on the other
to support
the whole.
Together,
the result
is a symbol
of strength,
vision and
teamwork
that points
us all in
the
direction of
excellence
and it will
welcome the
world to
Canada in
2010." The
inuit word `ilanaaq,`
meaning
friend and
pronounced
ih-lah-nawk,
is befitting
the spirit
of any
Olympic
Games.
Olympic
Mascots
- The
mascots Miga,
Quatchi and
Sumi have
faced their
own critics
since they
were
unveiled in
2007.
Criticisms
of them
being
unimaginative,
goofy and in
some cases
offensive
may be a
little
short-sighted
when Canada
opens it`s
doors to the
world in
2010. For a
start they
have had
people
talking if
only to ask
what on
earth they
are. "The
only thing
worse than
being talked
about is not
being talked
about," was
a quote from
the fabulous
Oscar Wilde
and in
marketing
never was
there a
truer word
spoken.
Miga
-
Miga is a
sea bear
living on
Vancover`s
coast which
is part
killer whale
part kermode
bear - a
white bear
only found
in British
Columbia.
Stories of
sea or
spirit bears
can be
traced back
to stories
told by the
Tsimshian
peoples of
the Pacific
North West.
There are
currently
10,000
Tsimshian
with
communities
in British
Columbia,
Prince
Rupert and
Alaska.
Quatchi
-
Quatchi is a
cute furry
ear-muff
wearing
Sasquatch,
or to most
of the world
outside
British
Columbia,
Big Foot.
Quatchi was
chosen to
represent
the mystery
and legend
of the
mountainous
and alpine
woodlands
indiginous
to Canada. I
suspect
Quatchi will
be the most
popular
among
non-Canadians
as being of
mythology
known to
most of the
Western
world.
Sumi
-
Sumi is the
official
mascot of
the
Paralympic
Games. He is
an animal
spirit
wearing a
hat of the
orca whale,
his legs are
that of the
black bear
and he flies
with the
wings of the
thunderbird.
Again, the
roots of
Sumi's
creation
lies in the
stories and
legends of
the
indigenous
peoples of
the Pacific
North West.
The other character is a Vancouver Island marmoset,
Mukmuk, who unlike the others is not an official mascot. He appears as their
friend in the software representations of the official mascots. Personal tastes
and aesthetic details aside the organisers appear to have gone to some lengths
to include and preserve first nation cultures in their branding. The depicted
creatures in these mixed race mascot representations owe their existence to
first nation culture and those that do actually exist in the mountainous, alpine
and sea shores around the province were respected and revered by these peoples.
