2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Mascottes revealed

[Sk8swan]

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The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Mascottes have just been revealed.
Tina & Milo
They are the "winners" of a contest for Italian school kids who had to draw a mascotte for the Games.

 

[Karen-W]

Soooo... foxes? They could be cuter.

 

[Spikefan]

They look like minks to me.

 

[BittyBug]

I dunno, they look like stoats or martens to me.

 

[On My Own]

What is the significance of these to Italy?

 

[Karen-W]

Great, we can't even tell what kind of animals they are!

 

[MacMadame]

I think the thread title is missing the word "mascots" @Sk8swan.

 

[Andrea82]

I dunno, they look like stoats or martens to me.

They are stoats.
You won.

What is the significance of these to Italy?

More or less nothing. They did a contest between schools. They had to propose concepts for the mascottes. Out of 1,000+ proposals, a committee selected a group of finalists. Then there was a vote on the Cortina website and this one (from a middle school near Catanzaro) won.
Then some professionals developed it.

 

[Vagabond]

I was worried that they might be weasels. The Olympics have more than enough weasels to deal with already.

 

[Sk8swan]

I think the thread title is missing the word "mascots" @Sk8swan.

Oops... Thanks I edited it

 

[caseyedwards]

Ferrets

 

[JJH]

Is the stoat on the left in winter white coat an ermine? Is this the summer and the winter fur displayed in the illustration?

 

[Sk8swan]

They are stoats (I had to look up in a dictionary as I didn't know the English translation! )
If someone asked me what is the most "meaningful" Italian animal I would have trouble to name one tbh... Stoats live only in the Alps here, so I guess they are just fine for the Winter Olympics

 

[JJH]

Wikipedia lists stoat as Mustela erminea. It's very cute. Is there a distinctive species or subspecies in the Alps?

 

[eusebius]

I think I found them
https://youtu.be/2HFSaxIsJCE?si=gLIZQWrKq3yjOGzi

 

[MacMadame]

Those stoats are much cuter than their name!

 

[Tesla]

They are so cute!

 

[Frau Muller]

Very cute. I like them…Mi piacciono le mascotte!

 

[Garden Kitty]

They're cute and I like the idea of the school kids being involved in the selection. And it looks like they'll have some additional friends.

 

[ChelleC]

Very cute!!

 

[Rob]

Same as ermine, yes?

 

[BittyBug]

Same as ermine, yes?

Yes, same family of animals, but there are ermines that are not stoats.

 

[Colonel Green]

The only thing I know about stoats is they were one of the villain races in Redwall.

 

[Sk8swan]

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A bit more info about them has been added to the MilanoCortina2026 IG page.
For those wondering about their names: Tina is supposed to be short for Cortina and Milo abbreviation for Milan...
I like the idea of having the Paralympic and Olympic Mascotte so linked together.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I mean, it’s in Milan, it’s just should be Dolce and Gabbana.

You know what I mean?

 

[NinjaTurtles]

I mean, it’s in Milan, it’s just should be Dolce and Gabbana.

You know what I mean?

Although the 90s archive has some great pieces, D&G are not well-liked within modern high fashion and made not the best mascots for the Olympic movement: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/dolce-gabbana-alta-moda-venice/

 

[Debbie S]

NBC Olympics IG confirms Tina and Milo are stoats. With snowdrop friends.

NBC Olympics & Paralympics on Instagram: "Introducing the Olympic and Paralympic mascots for Milano Cortina 2026! ❄️ Tina and Milo are stoats that are siblings and the Flo are six snowdrops that are their friends."

1,488 likes, 7 comments - nbcolympics on February 8, 2024: "Introducing the Olympic and Paralympic mascots for Milano Cortina 2026! ❄️ Tina and Milo are stoats that are siblings and the Flo are six snowdrops that are their friends.".

www.instagram.com

I think they are cute. I mean, what are Oly mascots supposed to look like?

So the figure skating medalists will receive a stuffed Tina or Milo at the on-ice ceremonies?

 

[Tesla]

NBC Olympics IG confirms Tina and Milo are stoats. With snowdrop friends.

NBC Olympics & Paralympics on Instagram: "Introducing the Olympic and Paralympic mascots for Milano Cortina 2026! ❄️ Tina and Milo are stoats that are siblings and the Flo are six snowdrops that are their friends."

1,488 likes, 7 comments - nbcolympics on February 8, 2024: "Introducing the Olympic and Paralympic mascots for Milano Cortina 2026! ❄️ Tina and Milo are stoats that are siblings and the Flo are six snowdrops that are their friends.".

www.instagram.com

I think they are cute. I mean, what are Oly mascots supposed to look like?

So the figure skating medalists will receive a stuffed Tina or Milo at the on-ice ceremonies?

I can’t get over their cuteness. They make me happy.

 

[Andrea82]

The 6 snowdrops friends are taken from the runner up in the schools contests.

 

[Ananas Astra]

Nah, not my type of mascot.

I liked the ones from Beijing, Pyeongchang and Sochi way better.