The mascots of the Olympic Games are probably one of the best ways for the host city to market itself. Sure, there are official slogans, songs and logos that brand each host city as unique but the marketing strategy of recent Olympics rests primarily on the mascots.

The Olympic mascots did not appear until the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. In that particular Olympics, a little cartoon man on skis known as Schuss appeared on pins and other small toys. He became the very first unofficial mascot of the Olympics. Ever since, with the exception of the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo Japan, other host cities came up with their own “people friendly” symbol to represent their Games.

The original purpose of an Olympic mascot was to give an extra boost to the cultural identity of the host country. Animals native to the area were usually picked to symbolize the Games but stylistic figures and symbols have also been used for representation.

The first mascot to hit it “big” was Misha, a small Russian bear from the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. The smiling bear was depicted as wearing a belt striped with the colors of the Olympic rings complete with the interlocking circles as the belt buckle. Misha turned out to be a huge success and even had his own animated cartoon. His cute and cuddliness appealed to kids and no wonder, as he was designed by Russian children’s book illustrator, Victor Chizhikov. Misha appeared in various merchandise such as plush dolls, t-shirts and keychains. The floodgates have been open ever since to market Olympic collectibles.

Despite the commercialism of the Olympic mascots, the essence of representing the host country still remains. A lot of thought goes into the design process. For instance, famed Chinese artist Han Meilin designed a set of 5 mascots chosen for the Beijing Olympics. Their names are Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, Nini. Taking the first syllable of their names, it spells “Beijing huanying ni”, or “Beijing Welcomes You”. Moreover, not only does each mascot represent a colored Olympic ring, but they also represent elements and superstitions strongly rooted in the Chinese culture.

Beibei is a blue Chinese sturgeon representing the element of water. She also symbolizes prosperity.

Jingjing is a black Chinese panda representing the element of wood. He is the personification of happiness.

Huanhuan is represents the element of fire. He is the Olympic Flame and he has the color red, denoting passion.

Yingying is a lively Tibetan antelope. He is also the epitome of good health. His element is earth and he is the color yellow.

Nini is a green swallow. Her element is air and she brings good fortune.

More cultural references can be seen in the headgear of each mascot which were inspired by ancient Chinese artifacts, dynasties and costumes.

Despite the fact that the Olympics have been highly commercialized, thoughtful artwork combined with good marketing still come into play.

Image taken on 2009-05-30 05:24:14 by janusz l.

China campaigned for the 2008 Olympic Games with a promise to improve its sad record of human rights abuse and suppression of free speech. It promised world reporters “unfettered access” in the country and made a commitment to clean up the quality of the air in Beijing for the Olympic Games.

The fact is that Beijing has failed on every important promise it made to become the host city of the 2008 Olympic Games. Sure it spent the money to build world class Olympic venues. It even spent several billion dollars in a failed attempt to clean up its air. However, granting basic human rights, allowing free speech, and its effort to improve the quality of the air in Beijing have all turned out to be dismal government failures of Olympic proportions.

The result of all these failed promises is that China was allowed to win the 2008 Olympic Games as the host city under false pretenses. To disguise its sad failure, Beijing has taken a page out of the Nazi regime’s playbook used during the Summer Games in Berlin, Germany in 1936. During those Olympics, Berlin tried to disguise its racist policies while welcoming the world as the host city of the Games. All anti-Jewish signs were temporarily removed and newspapers toned down racist rhetoric. The Olympic Games were used as a venue to present foreign spectators and journalists with a false image of a peaceful, tolerant Germany.

Seventy years later, China is attempting to disguise its dismal failure on improving human rights, free speech, and the environment as it always does, by controlling the message and the messenger. Like Germany in 1936, it is the totalitarian regime’s message control that disguises the truth and promotes the big lie. Here is a quote from China’s official newspaper, The People’s Daily last month: “If at each Olympics people stood up and used politics to attack the host nation, where does that leave the Olympic spirit?”

There it is for all to see. The Chinese government’s Olympic year initiative to disguise its failure. In effect the government’s subtle message is that there is no Olympic Spirit in free speech. Therefore, to criticize China during the 2008 Games is against the Spirit of the Olympics. This quote comes after China’s crackdown on internal dissidents over the last several months. (See Beijing 2008: Human Right Are A Propaganda Game on eworldvu.com). Many dissidents including Hu Jia, Wang Dejia, and others have been jailed in the country since late in 2007 for not exhibiting the proper “Olympic Spirit”.

According to the London newspaper, The Mail, on Sunday February 10, 2008, China’s attempt to control free speech has now extended into a compliant United Kingdom. The paper reports that British athletes competing at this year’s Olympic Games in China are being asked to sign a contract that includes a pledge not to speak out on political or human rights issues. The Mail says a clause in the contract states that “athletes are not to comment on any politically sensitive issues.” It reports that anyone who violates the contract will be sent home from Beijing.

Potentially the pledge in the contract means that a British athlete who witnesses someone being mistreated at any time in China is forbidden from even speaking to their colleagues about it. Competitors emailing home or writing blogs will also have to exercise self-censorship or face having their Olympic dreams ended.

The pledge (which is contained within a thirty two page document that is designed to be presented to all participants on the British Olympic team ) brings back memories of the order given to England’s football team to give a Nazi salute in Berlin in 1936 which immediately created a large protest in Great Britain.

Further consider the fact that it has been reported that December 12, 2007 was the worst day in history for the measurement of air quality around the city of Beijing. Many of the world’s athletes will risk health problems due to the filthy air especially on the long distance endurance events at this summer’s Games. For this reason many teams are postponing their arrival in Beijing to just prior to the scheduled events. Years of being the world’s biggest environmental polluter could not be corrected in time for the Olympic Games. However that has not stopped these Olympic Games in Beijing from being promoted as the environmentally friendly “Green Games”.

The political reality of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing is the sad spectacle of China’s ongoing human rights crackdowns on its internal dissidents. In addition, China continues to support some of the world’s worst regimes in Tibet, Myanmar, and the Sudan. It has placed world class athletes from every country in the world at risk from exposure to its filthy, polluted air. It is clearly evident that China’s commitments to the world that led it to become the host city for the 2008 Olympic Games have been broken.

Indeed, it is a record of failure of Olympic proportions; a record that China is attempting to disguise just as Nazi Germany disguised their real intentions as host of the Summer Olympics in Berlin in 1936.

This August (8th-24th) sees Beijing, China, hosting the games of the X X I X Olympiad. Below is listed a potted history of the Olympic games from 1960 to date including a few interesting facts about each games.

Rome 1960

Rome had been chosen to stage the 1908 Games, but the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy had intervened. It was some 52 years later that the Games finally arrived in the Italian capital. The Rome games were broadcast by television to all European countries and were watched by millions. However, the competitions themselves were overshadowed by the rivalry between the US and the USSR. In the final medal table the USSR finished ahead of the US by 43 to 34 gold medals.

Olympic Highlights

Running barefoot, Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila did not go unnoticed when he entered the marathon. He refused to be daunted by the condescending remarks and left all his opponents behind to cross the finishing line victorious, near Constantine’s triumphal arch.

Aged 20, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold athletics medals in one Olympiad: in the 100m, 200m and 4×100m relay. She achieved this extraordinary feat despite suffering from a string of childhood illnesses and recovering from a deformed leg caused by polio.

Cassius Marcellus Clay, later known as Muhammed Ali first came to international prominence by winning the light-heavyweight gold medal. He would later turn professional and embark on a phenomenal career.

Tokyo 1964

For the first time, the Olympic Games were hosted in Asia, Japan invested heavily in the most modern sports facilities as well as in improving the infrastructure of a city containing over 10 million people.

The extraordinary architectural design of the swimming stadium led to it being described as a “cathedral of sports”. Other outstanding new buildings included the judo hall, which was modelled on the architectural style of traditional Japanese temples.

The opening ceremony offered a glimpse into how record-breaking the competition would be, when teams from 93 nations (10 more than participated in Rome) paraded into the Meiji Stadium. However, the high standards set by athletes at the Tokyo Games led some critics to warn about exaggerated expectations for the future development of the Olympic disciplines.

Olympic Highlights

Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser won her third successive gold medal in the 100m freestyle. She was the first woman swimmer to win eight medals (four gold and four silver) – over three Olympics.

Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina added six more medals to her tally, becoming the first woman to win nine Olympic gold medals.

Deszo Gyarmati won gold with the Hungarian water polo team, thus achieving the (then) unique feat of winning medals at five successive Olympic Games

Mexico City 1968

Mexico City’s high altitude – almost 2,240m (7,350ft) above sea level dominated much of the pre-Games discussion: the consensus being that athletes from lowland countries would be at a disadvantage. However several weeks of high-altitude training enhanced the performances of many of these athletes.

There were violent riots in the run-up to the Games, following complaints about the exorbitant amounts of money being invested in Olympic facilities in contrast to Mexico’s own social problems.

Controversy also arose over South Africa’s participation at these Games and the IOC withdrew its invitation under pressure. Doping controls were introduced for the first time and a Swedish athlete was disqualified for having too much alcohol in his bloodstream.

Olympic Highlights

American Bob Beamon was the favourite in the long jump but he exceeded all expectations. His jump of 8.90m beat the world record by 0.55m.

Czech gymnast Vera Caslavska won four gold and two silver medals. These victories were given extra significance by beating the Soviet gymnasts shortly after Soviet tanks had invaded her homeland.

American Debbie Meyer became the first woman swimmer to win three individual gold medals at one Olympic Games.

Munich 1972

The 1972 Munich Games were the largest yet, setting records in all categories, with 195 events and 7,134 athletes from 121 nations. The Games were supposed to celebrate peace, and for the first 10 days all went well.

But in the early morning of 5 September, eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic village, killed two members of the Israeli team, and took nine more hostage. In the ensuing battle, all nine Israeli hostages were killed, along with five of the terrorists, and one policeman.

The Olympics were suspended and a memorial service was held in the main stadium. In defiance of the terrorists, the International Olympic Committee ordered the competitions to resume after a pause of 34 hours. All other details about the Munich Games paled in significance.

Olympic Highlights

Finnish distance runner Lasse Viren fell halfway through the 10,000m final, but still set a new world record to win the first of his four career gold medals.

The media star of the Munich Games was the petite Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut, whose three gold medals helped establish Soviet dominance in the female gymnastics events and captured the attention of fans worldwide.

Montreal 1976

The 1976 Montreal Games were marred by the boycott of 22 African nations protesting the fact that despite the New Zealand rugby team touring South Africa in defiance of international sporting sanctions, New Zealand was still allowed to compete. To compound the situation, the host nation suffered an unusually long winter, industrial disputes, and a lack of funds, which made it impossible to finish work on the Olympic facilities in time for the opening ceremony.

However, the performances of the athletes did not suffer from the political and national disputes. Despite the problems, the Games were well organized and, following the 1972 terrorist attack in Munich, security was tight.

Olympic Highlights

Nadia Comaneci was the star of the Games. She achieved her first perfect 10 on the uneven parallel bars, and the judges awarded her the maximum mark seven times.

With his victory in platform diving, Italian Klaus Dibiasi became the first Olympic diver to win three successive gold medals, and to win medals in four Olympic Games.

The US and East Germany dominated the swimming events. Only Great Britain’s David Wilkie and the Soviet Union’s Marina Koshevaya (both winning their 200m finals in record times) upset the monopoly.

Moscow 1980

As a result of the US-led boycott in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, only 80 countries were represented at the Moscow Games. : Notable absentees included Japan, West Germany, and the US.

Western countries have frequently referred to the Moscow Games as being of a low standard, and have raised doubts about the sporting value of the results and medals. Nonetheless, although not of the highest calibre, the Moscow Games were hardly sub-standard: 36 world records, 39 European records, and 73 Olympic records bore testimony to the high level of talent and competition on display.

Olympic Highlights

Soviet swimmer Vladimir Salnikov won three gold medals: in the 400m and 1,500m freestyle, and 4×200m relay. He was also the first to swim 1,500m in a time of less than 15 minutes.

British middle-distance runners Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe faced each other in two memorable duels. In the 800m, Ovett won the gold medal just ahead of his compatriot. Six days later, a determined Coe redeemed himself in the 1,500m, taking gold while Ovett could only manage bronze.

By winning the decathlon, Great Britain’s Daley Thompson became “king of the athletes”, beating home crowd favourite Yuri Kutsenko into second place.

Los Angeles 1984

Although a revenge boycott led by the Soviet Union depleted the field in certain sports, a record 140 nations took part in the first privately funded tournament in Olympic history.

More than 30 sponsors together contributed more than $500 million, while other companies funded the building of new sports facilities, in a deal that allowed them to advertise on the admission tickets.

The ABC television network paid $225 million for the exclusive television rights, thereby ensuring that most events started in the evenings during prime television time in the US. With these vast amounts of money involved, many critics held the view that what had once been a festival of amateur sport was now a purely commercial spectacle.

Olympic Highlights

American diver Greg Louganis remained unbeaten from the 3m springboard as well as from the 10m platform.

Sebastian Coe became the first repeat winner of the men’s 1,500m.

In the women’s 400m hurdles, Nawal El Moutawakel led from start to finish, becoming the first Moroccan athlete to win a gold medal.

British decathlete gold medallist Daley Thompson finished just one point off the world record.

It’s a very special time—it’s time for the Summer Olympics! This year the Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, China from Aug 8th to Aug 24th 2008.

The very best athletes from around the world will meet to compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals in a wide variety of sports ranging from track and field to gymnastics to swimming and diving. The Olympics are also time for people from many different cultures and backgrounds to make friends and learn acceptance. Bring the Olympics into your home by planning some Olympic crafts and activities to inspire your children to be active and experience the Olympic spirit.

The Olympic Flag

Explain to your child that the Olympic Flag is a very special flag. It has five interlocking colored rings on a white background. The rings represent the five major land areas, or continents, of the world. Show children these land areas on a map or globe. Explain that the rings are interlocked to show friendship among the different nations. Then, have your child paint or color interlocking rings on a sheet of white printing paper to resemble the Olympic Flag. Attach to a drinking straw for the handle.

The Olympic Torch

During opening ceremonies of the Olympics, a specially chosen person lights the Olympic cauldron to signal the official start of the games.  The flame is kept burning during the entire length of the games.  Have your child make his/her own Olympic torch and let the games begin! To make a simple torch, have your child cover the outside of a paper roll with aluminum foil. Then, have him/her glue red, yellow, and orange tissue paper inside the paper roll. Let your run around the cauldron pretending to light the big torch with his/her torch.)

Olympic Mascots

The Olympic Games Mascot for 2008 is the Fuwa. The Fuwa consist of five doll-like creations named Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini. Each of the Fuwa represents a different animal (fish, giant panda, fire, Tibetan antelope, and swallow) and Chinese element of philosophy (water, metal, fire, wood, and earth), and each has as its primary color one of the colors of the five Olympic Rings (red, blue, green, yellow, and black). Encourage your child to create a mascot similar to the Fuwa that represents your city or state. Visit our site for free Olympic coloring pagesfor each mascot.

Olympic Medals

Create some easy to make medals for your children. Draw a circle on a piece of cardboard and have children color it with yellow crayons. Spread a thin layer of glue over painted circles and while glue is still wet, lightly sprinkle on glitter. Shake off excess glitter and let dry. To add the neck ribbon, cut a length of ribbon approximately 32 inches.

Olympic Sports Day

Children of all ages will enjoy these fun Olympic activities. For the opening celebration, play some marching music and have children follow a torch-bearer with their own creation of flags to start your games.

Water Sports

Have your children jump over a sprinkler, move water balloons from one clothes basket to another, throw water balloons or resealable plastic baggies filled with water from one bucket to another,, and toss sponges from a bucket filled with, water trying to hit a target.

Gymnastics Event

Put on music and spread out a large sheet to use as a gymnastic floor. Let children make their own gymnastic floor exercise. Let children dance with crepe paper streamers to music or hop in and out of hula hoops.

At the end of the event make a podium out of cardboard boxes, etc. and hand out the medals to all participants of the Olympic Games.

Olympian Snacks

The Olympics is a multicultural event—a perfect time to introduce foods from other countries to your child, such as tortillas, pizza, egg rolls, pita bread and hummus, etc.