MOSCOW, November 18 (Sputnik) — The presentation of the official logo of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio-de-Janeiro will be attended by mascots of some previous events, including Misha, the Mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, the Russian Olympic Committee reported on its website.
Among other symbols invited to the ceremony are Athena (Athens 2004), the Fuwa (Beijing 2008), Wenlock and Mandeville (London 2012).
The official mascots of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio will be unveiled in a few days. The presentation will mark the beginning of the Olympic marketing campaign for memorabilia. Promoters plan to raise $420 million under the initiative.
Environmental activists are running a campaign for the golden lion tamarin, an endangered species, to be the official mascot of the upcoming Games in Rio.
Misha, also known as Mishka or The Olympic Mishka, is the name of the Russian Bear Mascot of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. He was designed by children’s books illustrator Victor Chizhikov. Mishka became the first sporting mascot to achieve great commercial success.
