St Petersburg Handball Club

Because 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 identify, Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni, presents the official greeting of Fuwa: Welcome to Beijing.  With the departure of the Games and the Fuwa, we look back on the previous Summer time Olympic Mascots.

The primary Summer Olympic Mascot made its look on the 1972 Munich Olympics Game.  Waldi, the pastel coloured dachshund exemplified the attributes of the athletes: resistance, tenacity and agility.  Despite the terrorist actions that left eleven individuals 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 within the Algonquin American Indian language, took the honour as the Mascot of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.  Amik witnessed the gorgeous performance of the five US gold medal boxers, and the primary good 10 rating in Olympic historical past by the Romanian, Nadia Comaneci before he handed the torch to Misha.

The lovable and cuddly bear, which represented the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, was Misha.  The worldwide famous person Mascot helped the world deal with the sixty country ban of the previous 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 purple, white and blue.  The 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles made Sam proud as America's Sweetheart, Mary Lou Retton, took the gold within the throughout 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 again to back gold medals despite hitting his head on the spring board, earlier than he passed the torch to the large dog.

Cobi, the canine, represented the 1992 Barcelona, Spain Olympics.  Cobi watched the US basketball 'Dream Staff' dominate the games and take the gold.  Cobi additionally witnessed Derek Redmond being helped to the end line along with his father after his proper hamstring 'popped' in mid race and eliminated his Olympic dreams.  Cobi and the remainder of the world felt Derek's tears that day as he walked the remainder of the race with the class and the heart of an Olympian.  Subsequent down the Mascot Olympic bloodline goes to the computer designed, Izzy.

Izzy watched as Mohammed Ali lit the torch to start out the 1996 Summer time Olympics in Atlanta.  Despite the terrorist tragedy, it was one other younger 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 touchdown to carry dwelling 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 fifth within the 200m butterfly, that boy was none other than Michael Phelps.  After the millennium Olympics closed, the Aussie boys handed the torch onto the brother and sister, Athena and Phevos.

2004 introduced the Olympics back to its authentic beginnings in Athens, and the world was launched to Athena and Phevos which legend has it have been brother and sister.  They had been capable of witness Paul Hamm become the first and only American in historical past to win the gold within the individual, all-around competitors, regardless of a disastrous fall on the vault.  Good things all the time come to an finish, and Athena and Phevos relinquished the torch to the Beijing good luck dolls.

With the tip of the Beijing Games and Michael Phelps unprecedented eight gold medals, the Fuwa Mascots wait with the rest of us for introduction of the 2012 Olympic Mascot in London.