Buenos Aires 2018 unveils its official mascot
Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee has launched its Youth Olympic mascot. Inspired by the jaguar, one of the most emblematic wild cat species found in northern Argentina, the mascot aims to inspire youth to embrace sport as a tool to make the world a better place, while also raising awareness about the species’ risk of extinction.
The mascot will be named #Pandi, with a “hashtag” at the beginning to demonstrate its strong online profile.
In the animated short, the young jaguar doesn’t give up when faced with challenges as it tries to reach the ribbons with colours that symbolise Buenos Aires 2018.
“Like the young athletes that give their best to qualify for the Games, the Buenos Aires 2018 mascot overcomes all types of adversity to reach its goals”, said the president of the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee, Gerardo Werthein.
The Olympic mascots are ambassadors to the Games and play a fundamental role in spreading the event’s message and the Olympic values of friendship, respect, and excellence among different audiences, especially children and youth.
The jaguar, found in Argentina’s northern region, is in great danger due to human causes. Various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have warned about the risk of extinction as a result of the destruction of their natural habitat and hunting.
The Buenos Aires 2018 mascot was designed by the Argentine agency Human Full Agency. The short animation was made by the local production company, Buda TV.
