While the first character to appear as an unofficial Olympic mascot was at the 1968 Grenoble Olympic Winter Games (a man on skis, called Schuss) Waldi, a multicoloured dachshund, was considered the first official mascot of the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972.
From then on, mascots became easily identifiable ambassadors for each Olympic Games and now Paris 2024 has unveiled its very own mascots – The Phryges (pronounced free-jes)
The Olympic Phryge and The Paralympic Phryge represent ‘an ideal’ says Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024
“At Paris 2024, we wanted mascots that would embody our vision and be able to share it with the French people and the world.
Rather than an animal, our mascots represent an ideal.
The Phrygian cap is a symbol of liberty. Since it is familiar to us and appears on our stamps and the pediments of our town halls, it also represents French identity and spirit”
An international symbol of liberty worn by freed slaves in Rome and appearing on many different emblems in North and South America alike, the Phrygian cap, also known as the liberty cap, will now come to life in the lead-up to and during Paris 2024
“As ambassadors of the Paris 2024 Games, they will be heading throughout France to meet the public in the run up to 2024, will attend all the major events of Paris 2024 throughout the country and all the biggest sporting and cultural events taking place in France.
Our duo will show up everywhere to participate in and encourage you to take part in sport”
Each sport will have its own Phryge - we can’t wait to see what the equestrian version looks like!
