DOHA, November 11 -- Are five mascots of Friendlies too many for the
Beijing Olympic Games? Journalists in the ongoing world weightlifting
championships did not think so, but believed the Friendlies fit the Olympic
spirits exactly.
The official mascots of the Beijing Olympic Games were revealed Friday
evening, aiming to express the playful qualities of five little children who
form an intimate circle of friends.
"Wow, they drew the colors of Five Olympic Rings!" William Dodzi Ezah, sports
reporter from Ghana News Agency told Xinhua when he just glimpsed at the
Friendlies at the media center of the weightlifting worlds.
After Ezah read the English stories released on the Beijing Games' official
website, he said: "I like the name of the mascots Friendlies, and I believe it
just indicates the main theme of the Olympic Games -- friendship."
According to the statement made by the Beijing Organizing Committee on their
official website on Friday, at the heart of Friendlies' mission, "they will seek
to unite the world in peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit".
"I have not expected that Beijing will choose five dolls for Olympic Games,
but five are not too many for Olympic mascots," he added.
The Five Friendlies also embody the natural characteristics of four of
China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the
Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame.
Fernando Fernandes of Portugal, who works for Al Jaeera Sports TV station in
Doha, thought the number of Friendlies was a very new idea for the Beijing
Olympics.
"Sydney Olympics had three mascots and Athens Games had two, so why not five
for Beijing? Don't fuss about it," he said.
"Five is great, but if one of them is designed much bigger than others, the
main theme will pop out more easily, thus people can remember the biggest one
firstly, then take other four in mind," Fernando suggested.
Former coach of U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Team Jim Schmitz who works for
MILO magazine now in San Francisco, pointed out the Five Friendlies give sports
fans more choices.
"People can choose their favorite Frendlies when they see them. For me, I
like the Panda most," Schmitz said.
"I like the swallow because I like the green color. All Frendlies are quite
Chinese, and I think when people see them, they will firstly react that they
come from China."
