Tokyo 2020 organizers unveiled Wednesday the official mascots for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, based on a futuristic vision of the world with the two characters decked out in traditional blue-checkered and a pink cherry-blossom-theme attire, respectively.
"(These designs) embody tradition, the future, cuteness and sophistication, and I believe that they represent today's Japan perfectly," said Yoshiko Ikoma, deputy head of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics mascot selection panel. "They are cute and at the same time they're cool."
The winning mascots for the games were selected by the elementary school students nationwide and overseas who were given three proposals to choose from.