Paris Olympics, 2024 mascot revealed: Phrygian cap
Organizers said they wanted something that represented an “ideal” rather than an animal.
PARIS, France – The mascots for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been unveiled – a Phrygian cap.
Also called the liberty cap, the soft, bright red cap is an updated version of a conical hat worn in ancient times in places like Persia, the Balkans, Thrace, Dacia, and Phrygia, a location in modern-day Turkey from which the name derives . It later became a symbol of the quest for freedom in the French Revolution – and is still worn by the figure of Marianne, the national personification of France since that time.
The Olympic hat is triangular in shape and comes complete with a friendly smile, blue eyes, a tricolor ribbon and big colored sneakers. The Paralympic version features a prosthetic leg that extends to the knee.
Organizers said they didn’t want to pick an animal or other creature, like mascots at previous games, but wanted something that represented an “ideal” instead. They said they chose the cap as an “allegory of freedom.”
The decision to use it for the Paris Games seems to establish connections between modern France and the ancient world.
“The Phrygian cap embodies the ability we all have together when we decide together to rise up to strive for better,” said Julie Matikhine, brand director of the Paris Organizing Committee. “It was so during the French Revolution and will be so again at the Paris 2024 Olympics because this is a revolution through sport.”
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https://www.king5.com/article/sports/olympics/paris-2024-olympics-mascot/507-20da63fd-df64-4d40-baf7-22bfc6d728aa Paris Olympics, 2024 mascot revealed: Phrygian cap
