The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesAugust 8-24 2008
(BEIJING, August 21) -- They jump and jiggle around Olympic venues in their bright overstuffed cartoon-like outfits, bringing smiles and laughter to Olympic audiences.
They are Fuwa, the mascots of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and there are five of them, one for each of the five Olympic rings: Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, Nini. Strung together their Chinese names spell out "Beijing welcomes you," or in Chinese, "Beijing huanying ni." They are caricatures of things China and things Olympic: a lotus fish, a giant panda, an Olympic torch, a Tibetan antelope, and a swallow that flies high above Beijing skies on the kites of children.
They might look cute and huggable, but being an Olympic Fuwa is no easy task. The Fuwa at the Table Tennis venue play ping pong to the amusement of spectators before and after matches, and their skills are required to be on par with professionals. There was a competitive selection process, and the lucky few who have been chosen, have been practicing for months.
A group of five sophomore and freshmen Wushu martial arts students from the Beijing Sports University have volunteered their time and expertise as Fuwa at the Olympic Wushu venue. Although they have been competing since they were little, these students have found something especially challenging about performing quick moves in sweaty hot costumes, while trying to make out the bulky shape of their opponents through two tiny holes not-so-conveniently placed at the top of their costumes. But these tireless volunteers come back day after day, to new crowds and more applause.
As the Chinese saying goes, "One minute on stage, ten years hard practice behind the scene." The men and women behind the Olympic Fuwa have done just that, and they deserve our applause, or at the very least, our smiles.
