The ‘Phryges’ are inspired by the iconic Phrygian cap, international symbol of freedom and which embodies French values and spirit well.
Neither a rooster nor a Marianne, usual symbols of the French Republic. The official mascots of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the ‘Phryges’, two likable red cap figures destined to ‘revolution’ the Olympic sport. They are inspired by the iconic Phrygian cap, an international symbol of freedom and a true embodiment of French values and spirit, declared the organizing committee of Paris 2024 when presenting it to the public.
The Phrygian cap is a kind of red cap, almost conical in shape, but with a curved point and made of wool or felt. This cap, reminiscent of the Catalan barretina, was part of the clothing of the freed slaves of Rome. It was also used by the seafaring peoples of the Mediterranean.
During the French Revolution of 1789, the Phrygian cap became a symbol of freedom and republicanism and currently appears on the shields of many Latin American countries.
Art lovers will remember the famous painting “Liberty leading the people” by Eugène Delacroix (1830), kept in the Louvre in Paris. Delacroix painted Liberty, wearing a Phrygian cap and bare-chested, hoisting a tricolor flag in one hand and a rifle in the other.
With 620 days to go before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the “Phryges” (Phrygians, in French) join the list of Olympic Games mascots, from Schuss, the skier character of the Grenoble Winter Games 1968 to Miraitowa and Someity, protagonists of Tokyo 2020, past the Misha bear from Moscow 1980 or the famous Cobi from Barcelona 1992.
“We chose an ideal over an animal,” explains Tony Estanguet, President of the Organizing Committee of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “We chose the Phrygian cap because it is a symbol that embodies the values of freedom and humanism, which are central to our project. It is a nod to the revolutionary spirit that we want to instill in the Games,” added Estanguet .
The Olympian Phryge and the Paralympic Phryge, who wears a prosthetic leg, are part of a large tribe of ‘Phryges’ who practice different sports. Julie Matikhine, director of the Paris 2024 brand, explained that these mascots have the mission: “to revolutionize through sport, to promote sport and to convey Olympic and Paralympic values.”
When designing the mascot, the creative teams for Paris 2024 started with a Phrygian cap and added bulging, expressive eyes in the shape of a French tricolor cockade, another Gallic symbol. The mascots wear sneakers and carry the golden Paris 2024 logo on the chest.
The “merchandising” of the Olympic and Paralympic Phryge is already on sale in the official stores of Paris 2024 and on the online store, with prices ranging from 8 euros for a pin to 48 euros for a hoodie, through t-shirts costing between 16 and 20 euros, and stuffed animals, with a price between 20 and 32 euros, depending on the size.
Source: La Verdad
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