As the world says good bye to the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, we also say good bye to Fuwa, the official Mascots of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. Beibei, the Fish, Jingjing, the Panda, Huanhuan, the Olympic Flame, Yingying, the Antelope and Nini, the Swallow. The first syllable of each name, Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni, offers the official greeting of Fuwa: Welcome to Beijing. With the departure of the Games and the Fuwa, we look back at the previous Summer Olympic Mascots.
The first Summer Olympic Mascot made its appearance at the 1972 Munich Olympics Game. Waldi, the pastel colored dachshund exemplified the attributes of the athletes: resistance, tenacity and agility. Despite the terrorist actions that left eleven people dead, the spirit of the Olympic Games was not squelched, and Waldi witnessed the phenomenal seven gold medal performances by Mark Spitz before handing the torch to Amik.
Amik, which translates Beaver in the Algonquin American Indian language, took the honour as the Mascot of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Amik witnessed the stunning performance of the five US gold medal boxers, and the first perfect 10 score in Olympic history by the Romanian, Nadia Comaneci before he handed the torch to Misha.
The cute and cuddly bear, which represented the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, was Misha. The international superstar Mascot helped the world deal with the sixty country ban of the former USSR. After the Moscow Olympics, Misha handed the torch to Sam the Eagle.
Sam the Eagle took the torch despite the countries differences and honoured his creator, Walt Disney, with its American red, white and blue. The 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles made Sam proud as America's Sweetheart, Mary Lou Retton, took the gold in the all around gymnastic competition and wowed the world. Sam, like a proud father, handed the torch to his predecessor, Hodori.
The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, gave the world Hodori, the tiger. With the rings of the Olympics around his chest, he represented his country with pride. The big cat witnessed Greg Louganis win back to back gold medals despite hitting his head on the spring board, before he passed the torch to the big dog.
Cobi, the dog, represented the 1992 Barcelona, Spain Olympics. Cobi watched the US basketball 'Dream Team' dominate the Games and take the gold. Cobi also witnessed Derek Redmond being helped to the finish line with his father after his right hamstring 'popped' in mid race and eliminated his Olympic dreams. Cobi and the rest of the world felt Derek's tears that day as he walked the rest of the race with the class and the heart of an Olympian. Next down the Mascot Olympic bloodline goes to the computer designed, Izzy.
Izzy watched as Mohammed Ali lit the torch to start the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Despite the terrorist tragedy, it was another young American Gymnast that stole our hearts. Kerri Shrug displayed for the world the Olympic spirit as she vaulted with a sprained ankle and nailed the landing to bring home the gold. Izzy handed the torch off to the three mascots of Australia.
The New Millennium Olympics gave us the threesome of Syd, Olly and Millie, representing earth, air and water. Syd and the gang witnessed a fifteen year old boy place 5th in the 200m butterfly, that boy was none other than Michael Phelps. After the millennium Olympics closed, the Aussie boys passed the torch onto the brother and sister, Athena and Phevos.
2004 brought the Olympics back to its original beginnings in Athens, and the world was introduced to Athena and Phevos which legend has it were brother and sister. They were able to witness Paul Hamm become the first and only American in history to win the gold in the individual, all-around competition, despite a disastrous fall on the vault. Good things always come to an end, and Athena and Phevos relinquished the torch to the Beijing good luck dolls.
With the end of the Beijing Games and Michael Phelps unprecedented 8 gold medals, the Fuwa Mascots wait with the rest of us for introduction of the 2012 Olympic Mascot in London.