The 3 mascots chosen to represent Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi are: a snowboarding leopard, a bunny, and "an earnest, slightly dorky" polar bear with a scarf. They would seem to be safe choices that will appeal to kids.
Earlier in the month, one of the mascot choices was Ded Morez, the Russian version of Santa Claus, and he was actually one of the favorites to be selected. However, on Saturday he was withdrawn from the list of choices because the mascot would become property of the International Olympic Committee. Did it really take it this long to figure out that using Santa as the Olympic mascot might be a conflict of interest?
The snow leopard finished with the most votes at 28 percent. It seemed that prime minister Vladimir Putin likely had some influence in the final voting tally, according to the AP:
Here is a picture of the 1980 Olympic mascot. Doesn't look that much alike to me. Well, they do look similar in the fact that they're both bears, but that's about it. I don't think he'll win this argument.
Snow leopard, bunny, polar bear chosen [AP via ESPN.com]
Meet the dorky, controversial mascots for the 2014 Olympics [Yahoo! Sports]
Earlier in the month, one of the mascot choices was Ded Morez, the Russian version of Santa Claus, and he was actually one of the favorites to be selected. However, on Saturday he was withdrawn from the list of choices because the mascot would become property of the International Olympic Committee. Did it really take it this long to figure out that using Santa as the Olympic mascot might be a conflict of interest?
The snow leopard finished with the most votes at 28 percent. It seemed that prime minister Vladimir Putin likely had some influence in the final voting tally, according to the AP:
In a nationally televised meeting with students hours before the mascot vote, Putin said he favored the big cat because "the leopard is big, strong, fast and beautiful. ... If the Olympic project restores at least one segment of nature that was lost due to human activities, it will be symbolic."The polar bear, which seems to be the safest choice, may be the one causing the most controversy. Viktor Chizhikov, the man who designed the mascot to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, seems to think that this bear is a direct copy of his. "This polar bear, everything is taken from mine, the eyes, nose, mouth, smile," he told a Moscow radio station. "I don't like being robbed."
Here is a picture of the 1980 Olympic mascot. Doesn't look that much alike to me. Well, they do look similar in the fact that they're both bears, but that's about it. I don't think he'll win this argument.
Snow leopard, bunny, polar bear chosen [AP via ESPN.com]
Meet the dorky, controversial mascots for the 2014 Olympics [Yahoo! Sports]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
