Tiger Becomes the World Friendship Games 2024 Mascot
The World Friendship Games 2024 Organising Committee presented the mascot.
The Tiger is the mascot for the first edition of the World Friendship Games 2024. The new multi-sport tournament will take place in Moscow and Ekaterinburg this September. The character was chosen through a multi-stage process involving recognised experts and a special jury. The results of this process were presented at the Friendship Games fan zone during the World Youth Festival in Sochi.
1. The mascot creation process began in November 2023. Initially, the Organising Committee consulted VCIOM experts to compile a list of characters. This list was then used to create visual images.
Ivan Chekhovsky, VCIOM Project Manager:
“In developing a mascot for this significant event, we conducted creative focus groups with sports fans of different ages. We learned that the mascot for international multi-sport competitions should be a specific character, rather than abstract, to allow viewers to connect. The image should be clear to both Russians and foreign guests. It should be associated with friendship, sports, and convey a sense of optimism.”
2. The Organising Committee held a competition among the leading animation studios in Russia to develop visualisations of the characters selected during the focus groups. Soyuzmultfilm, one of the oldest and most famous studios, won the competition. The studio's artists created dozens of sketches of the selected characters. A shortlist of three applicants was then chosen based on how well they met the Organising Committee's brief.
Maria Savinykh, creative director of Soyuzmultfilm:
“Soyuzmultfilm has experience in developing sports series. However, creating a mascot was a new venture for us, something we had never done before. We consulted with athletes and sports experts to ensure that the selected characters accurately reflected the individual character traits that would also reflect the traits of the Friendship Games 2024.”
3. During the mascot development process, an expert jury was formed under the chairmanship of Umar Kremlev, the President of the International Boxing Association (IBA). The jury consisted of 22 people, including renowned athletes, film and pop stars, and ambassadors of the World Friendship Games 2024.
The jury members had to choose between three contenders: a tiger, a bear, and a squirrel.
The winner was decided after a challenging and uncompromising competition. The tiger was only a few votes ahead of its competitors.
Alexey Sorokin, CEO of the World Friendship Games Organising Committee:
“We believe the jury made an excellent choice! Our mascot is energetic, athletic, and despite its appearance, amiable. I hope that both fans and tournament participants will appreciate it. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the jury members, VCIOM, and Soyuzmultfilm. It was a challenging decision, but we handled it perfectly. Welcome to the team of the World Friendship Games, Tiger!"
The selection of the mascot's name will be the final stage of development. A broad audience of fans will take part in this process. The World Friendship Games 2024 Organising Committee will announce the format and places for the mascot name selection in the near future.
These events include activities for volunteers, spectators, and athletes, as well as cultural programmes, ceremonies, and other activities at sports and other venues. The mascot will participate in various events during the preparation and holding of the Games. Additionally, the mascot's image will be used in the Games' information and advertising campaigns.
