2018 WINTER OLYMPICS: WHY ATHLETES GET A LITTLE...

Curling? It’s not the only thing at the Winter Olympics that confuses viewers. If you watched the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, and you’re eagle-eyed, you may have been confused to see the winning athletes on the podium receive not medals or flowers after the competition, but  a small stuffed animal . Many are wondering what happened to the normal Olympic podium protocol, and why are athletes receiving a small toy instead?

There are many reasons behind this decision that when explained, make sense of the changes. So here's what you need to know about why Olympic medalists get stuffed animals when they win.

1) Why Don't the Winners of the Winter Olympics Receive Their Medals Immediately?

Pictured below ,  silver medalists from the Russian Olympic team,  gold medalists from the Canadian team and bronze medalists from the American team celebrate during the medal ceremony after the team figure skating event at Medal Plaza on February 12, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.

Viewers of the Summer Olympics may recall that winners were awarded medals shortly after completing their events. But since there are fewer events at the Winter Olympics ❄, organizers can hold a medal ceremony every night for the day's winners, handing out stuffed animals and small gifts. It's a sweet gesture that unites all athletes, regardless of their results. At the much busier and more crowded Summer Olympics, such a ceremony would be difficult to manage.

So the athletes who finish in the top three receive a stuffed animal and have to wait until the end of the day to receive their medals and participate in the ceremony at the Medal Plaza at night ?

2) This is how the medal ceremony takes place in Pyeongchang

Immediately after winning their events, the athletes stand on a podium while a procession of women wrapped in red coats - bring out three trays of stuffed animals in the shape of the official Olympic mascot. The athletes receive this stuffed animal during this first ceremony.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), athletes who win medals at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics are honored in two separate ceremonies . The first takes place directly after the event, and this is when the athletes receive their stuffed tigers. These tigers do not replace medals at the Olympics, they are just an added bonus.

“The flower ceremony, or in this case the teddy bear ceremony , is a long-standing tradition,” said Mark Adams, director of communications for the International Olympic Committee. “With outdoor events, it’s a no-brainer,” he added, referring to the subzero temperatures at many mountain venues. (The practice of holding a small ceremony immediately after winter events began at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy.)

By the way, this isn't just any stuffed tiger? In a press release last December, the IOC explained that instead of flowers, medalists at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics will receive a doll of the Games mascot, "Soohorang."

3) What is the Stuffed Animal Given to Athletes during the 2018 Olympics?

The souvenir awarded to Olympic medalists this year turns out to be not just a "teddy bear," but a white tiger — considered a guardian animal in Korean mythology. The white tiger, named "Soohorang" ("guardian animal"), is also the mascot of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. The tiger is an important figure in Korean culture — an ordinary tiger was the mascot of the 1988 Seoul Olympics — and the white tiger is particularly revered.

According to the Olympic website, the mascot gets its name from "sooho ," which means protection , and "ho-rang-i," which means tiger . The name also refers to "Jeong-seon A-ri-rang," a folk song from Gangwon Province, where the games are being held.

"The Soohorang is very cute and very pretty," said Sung Baik You, a spokesman for the PyeongChang organizing committee. "The athletes who received the Soohorang are very happy about it."

4) Where Did the Flowers Go at the Olympic Games?

The 2016 Rio Olympics were the first Games to do away with flowers , citing sustainability concerns (the bouquets were nods to the olive wreaths that Olympic champions received in ancient times). The International Olympic Committee decided that it was not sustainable to present flowers to athletes on the podium, and decided to change the process to involve awarding a mascot or small trophy.

It’s a nice gesture towards sustainability , but it’s a drop in the ocean when placed next to all the brand new buildings that are often abandoned shortly after the Games end. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, the winners walked away with sculptures of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics logo (in addition to their medals). In PyeongChang 2018, the prize is a little more cuddly!

The floral tradition continues with the Soohorang plush toy adorned with a hat? in gold, silver or bronze and having small paper flowers hanging from his hat; according to the PyeongChang 2018 website , the symbol is a nod to "Uhsahwa" paper flowers given to those who passed their national exams during Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

5) Where to buy the Olympic Mascot?

Many great athletes receive stuffed animals as a reward after reaching the podium. Like for example at the Olympics, the Tour de France… But you too can have a stuffed mascot without needing to be a gold medalist  ? at the Winter Olympics!

You can now determine which plush toy will be your mascot or the mascot of your family and buy it now. Whether you prefer tigers  ?, penguins  ?  or even teddy bears  ?, you will find your happiness (or that of your children) on our Plush Kingdom ® store .