16 March 2022
Primary and secondary school students are designing the mascots for the Italian Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Italian schools have already gotten to work, but you can participate in the contest for ideas to design mascots of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games until March 25. The competition, which is promoted by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, is open to public and charter primary and secondary schools throughout the national territory.
Now that Milano Cortina 2026 has taken the baton from 2022 and Italy has officially become the next host country for the Winter Games, the Olympic and Paralympic project is coming to life. The "School and Mascots of Milano Cortina 2026" initiative will allow teachers to get students involved and draw on Olympic and Paralympic values to encourage them to make sustainable decisions inside and outside the classroom, respecting others, the environment, and fair play.
Participating in the competition will therefore be an opportunity to deepen and develop practical and interdisciplinary educational activities to encourage children's creativity and imagination through a broad educational process that is also open to motor and sporting experiences.
Participation is allowed by class or by institute, and educational institutions can submit proposals until 2 pm on March 25, 2022, through the "School and Mascots of Milano Cortina 2026" Competition for Ideas on the Pimer/Monitor platform. Students will participate in designing one or more Olympic and Paralympic mascots. The Regional School Offices will participate in an initial selection phase that will be carried out regionally through a specific working group at each office. It will end with the subsequent selection phase at the national level. In the spring of 2023, a public jury will vote on the finalist proposals.
Mascots have taken on the role of ambassadors for the Olympic and Paralympic Games since 1968. Their presence embodies the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games by welcoming athletes and fans from around the world, promoting the history and culture of each country and spreading its values and traditions. The initiative is one of the goals of the Memorandum of Agreement signed in June 2021 between the Ministry and the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation for promoting activities related to education, culture, training, and support for the values of sport.
