Paris, November 14 (BUS): Mascots for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been revealed as Phrygian hats, reports the Associated Press. The soft bright red hat, also known as the freedom hat, is an updated version of the conical hat that was worn in antiquity in places such as the Balkans, Thrace, Dacia and Phrygia, a place in modern Turkey where the name originated.
It later became a symbol of the pursuit of freedom in the French Revolution and is still worn by Marianne, the national personification of France since that time. The Olympic hat is triangular in shape and comes complete with a friendly smile, blue eyes, a tricolor ribbon, and large colorful sneakers. The Paralympic version features a knee-high prosthetic leg.
Organizers said they didn’t want to choose an animal or other creature, like the mascots in previous games, but instead wanted something that was “perfect.” They said they chose the cap as a “symbol of freedom.”
The choice to use them at the Paris Games seems to draw the links between modern France and the ancient world. “The Phrygian cap embodies the ability we all have together when we collectively decide to rise to the quest for the best,” said Julie Matikhen, Brand Director of the Organizing Committee in Paris.
“This was the case during the French Revolution and that will be the case again with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games because this is a revolution through sport.”
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