[ritchiebaby]

I know you all get over-excited about the various mascots each time a major sporting event comes around, so contain yourselves for the big reveal. This is Tina (and family) on the left for the Olympics and Milo (and family) on the right for the Paralympics. A couple of stoat(er)s if ever I saw one (or more). Numerous shopping opportunities are available.


And there's the usual guff associated with the promotion of the Games. For example, "This emblem is made up of the number 26 in one single trace, with Milano Cortina 2026 explaining: "Think of the gesture of a child. A simple, spontaneous gesture that comes to life on a misted glass, revealing what is beneath, and tracing the number 26 on the surface. "A journey made of gestures begins: the sign becomes a window revealing colourful sporting and everyday pictures. In a continuous comparison between sporting and daily actions, a story of images accompanies us on a dualistic path allowing us to fully understand the meaning of the logo.""


And the end result will be all about the medals. The usual guff appears here as well, with the "Italian Spirit - vibrant, young and dynamic. Celebrating the power of differences — two unique halves coming together to create a bold, unified statement


On a more practical note, to give you an idea of prices for the events, a hospitality package for the curling varies between 225 Euros for earlier games to 495 Euros for the Gold Medal Games. This gets you a session ticket, access to the lounge (basically an ice rink cafe) and light bites and beverages with memorabilia available. Ticket only prices for the sessions vary between 50 Euros and 150 Euros. Italy is inclined to be expensive, Olympic season will be very expensive, so be prepared.