What is Phryge, the curious mascot of Paris 2024 (and what does it have to do with Latin America)

From the categories of athletes to the choice of mascot, THE Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France, aim to mark a before and after in the history of competitions. And, true to the French spirit, they have implemented radical changes that viewers will be able to enjoy from this Friday, July 26.

For example, These will be the first equal games where exactly the same number of men and women will compete. Also, The opening ceremony, which traditionally takes place in a stadium, will be held outdoors. : first on the Seine then at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

But A key element of this year’s Olympics was the choice of mascot who will host this sporting festival for 19 days: it is called Phyge and – unlike all past games, where an animal was chosen – It’s a garment.

This is the explanation of the origin of Phyrge, the mascot of the “hat” of Paris 2024 .

At the last Olympic Games in 2022, held in China, the mascot was a cute panda named Bing Dwen Dwen. Before that, we saw characters like Miraitowa (2020), a futuristic fox from Tokyo, Japan, and Soohorang (2018), a white tiger from Korea.

But now, Paris has chosen Phyrge as its Olympic mascot, a Phrygian cap – a sort of hood – which represents the French Revolution. In parallel, the icon of the Paralympic Games is the same hat, but with a prosthetic leg.

“More than an animal, we have chosen an ideal” ” said Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, presenting these red ambassadors.

“We chose the Phrygian cap because It is a very strong symbol for the French Republic. For the French, it is a very well-known object and it is a symbol of freedom.

And, although its origin is not French, This figure historically represents freedom, not only for France, but also for other countries, even in Latin America.

As explained in BBC World the historian of University of Burgos in Spain, Sergio Sánchez Collantes, the shape of this cap, named in this place pileus, It was first used in the Roman Empire: it was given to slaves who were going to be freed by their masters.

But over time, Europeans “rediscovered” these hats: “The resurgence of clothing in the modern era occurred in the 17th century, during the Netherlands’ struggle for independence from Spain.” said historian J. David Harder in his book The Caps and Trees of Liberty.

After They were used again by American revolutionaries when they sought freedom from the British crown.

The red hat ended up in France because sailors and peasants used a similar garment in medieval times and, During the French Revolution, they incorporated it into their symbology. In addition to representing freedom, they added the concept of republicanism.

Latin American countries, which were also beginning their independence process, also adopted this hat as a symbol of freedom. Today it is present in the national flags or shields of Cuba, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti and Nicaragua.