WENLOCK AND MANDEVILLE

by Earlie Doriman

Wenlock to represent the Olympics 
and Mandeville for Paralympics
(photo from Yahoo images)

Do you wonder who they are? They are just the official mascots of the London 2012 Olympiad and Paralympics, and soon they will conquer the hearts of every spectator in the world’s greatest sporting spectacle. Yet, what’s in the name?

When the two mascots were unveiled two years ago, they received various reactions from the public and critics. Some said that the design was the least being expected to be chosen since there were certainly numerous designs that could be readily associated with the host city London, like Big Ben mascot or perhaps George the Lion mascot. But, the Olympics organizers were too convinced to defend that Wenlock and Mandeville are not just ordinary mascots of the Olympics. They have rich historical significance to both the Olympics and Paralympics and the design was especially created to inspire children. Sebastian Coe, the chairman of the London organizing committee said that the design could easily connect to young people with sport and could proudly tell the story of England’s Olympic and Paralympic history.

WHO IS WENLOCK? 

Mascot Wenlock carries the inspiration of the so called origin of the Modern Olympics. Wenlock is a small town in Shropshire, England, and it was in this place where the concept of modern Olympics was born. This beautiful place is known for the Wenlock Olympian Games organized by Dr. Penny Brookes in the 1850. Dr Brookes was instrumental in setting up both the Shropshire Games and the National Olympics Games. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the grandfather of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was personally invited and visited Shropshire in 1890 and was interested by the success of the Annual Games held in the town and eventually extended that inspiration to the Ancient Greece and the world. One of the famous hotels of Shropshire called ‘The Raven Hotel’, is able to keep the memorabilia of the important artifacts and correspondence between Dr. Brookes and de Coubertin. Notable historic attractions in Wenlock are the Priory and the Guild Hall.

WHO IS MANDEVILLE?

 Mascot Mandeville gets its name from Stoke Mandeville, a village in the county of Buckinghamshire, England.  Particularly, Mandeville Hospital, the largest and famous Spinal Injuries ward, and is the National Center for Disability Sport in the United Kingdom inspired the Paralympics movement and the Paralympics Games in 1960. the historical significance of Mandeville traces back in 1948 when the first Stoke Mandeville Games was held and are now known as the World Wheelchair and Amputee Games. When the 1948 London Games officially started, Sir Ludwig Guttman held his own version of sport competition in Stoke Mandeville but the players were World War II soldiers with spinal injuries.