The Russian Olympic Committee heads the country’s Olympic movement and represents the Russian Federation at the Olympic Games. It also promotes and defends the principles and values of Olympism and helps develop sports in the country.
Team Russia is an Olympic Committee project which unites athletes who represent Russia at international competitions with a huge army of Russian fans. The team never had its own mascot, but now it’s got two!
The Bear
The Bear has long been associated with Russia, both inside the country and abroad. It was used as an Olympic mascot for the games in Moscow in 1980 and in Sochi in 2014.
Our bear is not just any old bear — it’s also a matryoshka and a tumbler doll. He can never be on his knees in defeat, because he doesn’t even have knees!
The Cat
The second mascot is a bog-standard Russian cat that looks like a cross between a manul, a Siberian lynx and a snow leopard. Making him even more Russian is the fact that he is also a fur hat.
That’s interesting
If you look at mascots for the Olympic Games or football championships, they all seem to share the same expression, a perpetual grin.
But when you look at mascots for sports teams, they’re not smiling. In fact, the only thing they’re wearing is their game face, essential for victory.
Team Russia’s mascots are both symbols of the Russian Olympic Committee and the talismans of our team. So, the Cat and the Bear are sometimes kind and sweet, and sometimes—when the occasion demands—not so much.
The mascots feel right at home on pictograms for different sports.
One of the mascots harks back to the age-old tradition of matryoshkas and tumbler dolls, and the other is half-cat, half-fur hat. Ready-made souvenirs!
Use your mouse to control the doll
Subscribe to Team Russia’s new mascots on social networks and follow them on their travels:
