Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Mascot Unveiled

The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (NYOGOC) today unveiled its official mascot: "NANJINGLELE".

NANJINGLELE is inspired by a unique natural feature of the host city known as the "Rain-Flower Pebble" (also translated as "Riverstone"). The design of the mascot takes the typical shape and appearance of this stone but in a creative and artistic way, highlighting the colours from the emblem’s palette. The word ‘lele’ represents the sound of stones colliding together and is pronounced like the Chinese word meaning happiness or joy.

NYOGOC unveiled the official mascot at a grand ceremony held at the Nanjing Olympic Centre, one of the main competition venues for the upcoming Games. More than 4,000 people, including students, locals, government officials and sponsor representatives, attended the ceremony. Olympic Chinese champions Sun Yang, Huang Xu and Wu Jingyu unveiled the mascot with official dignitaries and a group of young people who are working with NYOGOC as advisors.

In a congratulatory letter read during the ceremony, the International Olympic Committee President, Jacques Rogge, said: "The design of NANJINGLELE is truly inspiring and will certainly capture the attention of the world’s youth and older generations alike. Not only does it incorporate aspects of the host city’s majestic local stone, the riverstone, but it is bright and vibrant and sets the tone for a fun, colourful and energetic YOG."

Li Xueyong, Governor of Jiangsu Province and President of NYOGOC, said: "Mascot NANJINGLELE represents the profound cultural deposit of Nanjing, the collective wisdom of its people and the good wish of a harmonious relationship between human beings and the nature."

NANJINGLELE was chosen following a nationwide mascot design competition launched by NYOGOC earlier this year. More than 1.2 million students from more than 900 colleges across China participated in the competition.

During the event, Cao Weixing, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province and Vice President of NYOGOC, presented an award to the winning designer Mr Cui Xinye, 25, a college student.

Yang Weize, General Secretary of CPC Municipal Committee and Executive President of NYOGOC, gave a speech during the ceremony: "As a messenger of the Nanjing 2014 concept and the Youth Olympic spirit, NANJINGLELE will win numerous friends all over the world with its cute and vivid look. It simultaneously sends an invitation to all the young people around the world to take part in Nanjing 2014 and to join in the YOGexperience wherever they are ."

Matthew Forbes, Vice Consul-General of Britain,which hosted theLondon 2012 Olympic Games, and Chi Chiew Sum, Vice Consul-General of Singapore, which hosted the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010, also expressed their best wishes to Nanjing 2014 and presented their mascots as a gift to Nanjing.

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