Ever since Shuss appeared on his skis at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, mascots have served as popular ambassadors for the Olympic Movement.
With 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympic Winter Games [YOG] in exactly one year, it’s time to introduce his mascot Moongchowhose mission is to show the world that young people can create a better future through peaceful coexistence and unity through sport.
The mascot was unveiled at a gala event today, January 19, at the Yongpyong resort in PyeongChang, attended by honorary ambassadors Kim Yuna (Olympic champion in women’s figure skating from Vancouver 2010) and Kim Jeri (bronze medalist Buenos Aires 2018 YOG).
Below we take a look at how Moongcho was created, what it stands for and what inspired the winning designer.
Who is the mascot of Gangwon 2024, Moongcho?
Moongcho’s name comes from the Korean word “Moongchida”, which means a combination of different thoughts and powers.
Born from the snowball that was used in the snowball fight between PyeongChang 2018 mascots Soohorang and Bandabi, it inherited the sporting attitude of its predecessors from the Winter Olympic Games.
While each snowball has a unique shape, they all share the value of being made of snow, and similarly, young athletes at Gangwon 2024 can unite and share their dreams, growing together through JOG.
There are no winners or losers in snowball fights, and Moongcho encourages everyone to take advantage of every moment and enjoy games based on YOG values ??and spirit.
Like the 1,900 athletes who will descend on Gangwon, the mascot also wears goggles and a scarf, running with passion and fearlessness.
Moongcho is also always willing to help his friends in need.
How was Moongcho chosen?
YOG aims to share, communicate and grow together by interacting with youth.
Thus, Moongcho was brought to life through a collaborative process in which young people from the Republic of Korea submitted designs for a national competition.
Seven of the best designers were invited to participate in an internship where experts who participated in the PyeongChang 2018 mascot production process helped improve the quality of their submissions in terms of storytelling and design.
A panel of judges was then selected Park Su-yeon submission as the winner and Moongcho was born!
Specializing in visual design, she spent her days reading Gangwon folktales at her local library and was inspired by their snowy landscapes.
“The Winter Youth Olympics is a gathering of young people from all over the world who want to enjoy the festival through sports, and I immediately thought it was a snowball fight,” said Park.
“As the saying goes, ‘Keep your head cool, heart warm,’ and I came up with the idea through thinking and thinking all the time.
“Thanks to me from yesterday fighting to make my dream come true, I think the present me and the future me exist.”
