The 2026 Winter Olympics are currently taking place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, after having had their opening ceremony on February 6, 2026. However, amidst all the anticipation for the sports, it is the mascots for the event that have caught the attention of many.
When the organisers of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics unveiled their official mascots, few expected it to be the animal called a stoat, a small carnivorous mammal also known as an ermine.
The stoats named Tina, a white stoat, and Milo, her brown-furred counterpart, are an embodiment of Italy’s vibrant culture, along with traits like agility, resilience, and hope.
The mascots are more than just adorable, playful creatures, though, as they also symbolise climate awareness, alpine biodiversity and Italy’s mountainous heritage. Experts have commented on the environmental message that these stoats are giving, seeing how they are currently vulnerable to climate change.
Who Are The 2026 Winter Olympics Mascots?
The official mascots of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are Tina and Milo, two animated stoats introduced by the organising committee.
According to AP News, the mascots were revealed as part of a youth-driven design initiative by Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee and Italian Ministry of Education and were selected after a nationwide vote in Italy from out of 1,600 mascot entries.
Tina, a white-furred stoat, represents the Olympic Winter Games, while Miloa brown-furred stoat, represents the Paralympic Winter Games.
As per the Olympics website, the mascots were designed by students from the Istituto Comprensivo of Taverna, and “They represent the contemporary, vibrant and dynamic Italian Spirit.”
According to the Olympics, Tina is a reference to Cortina, one of the host cities, and she was born in Italy’s mountains, stating how “Nature is her home, and even though she now lives in the city, she does everything she can to protect it and keep it untouched.”
Milo, on the other hand, is short for Milano, the other co-host city of the Olympics and was born without one paw, with his nature being that “Obstacles are trampolines.”
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Why Are People Talking About Them?
The choice of a stoat surprised many observers. As various reports noted, many people admitted they had “never heard of a stoat” before the mascots were unveiled. The animal, also known as an ermine in its winter coat, is native to alpine and northern regions, including parts of Italy.
The mascots won over people very quickly, not in part due to their adorable appearance. Further, that they deviated from the usual Olympics mascots, such as bears or tigers, while being incredibly local to the host country, intrigued people.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, stoats are small, carnivorous mammals belonging to the weasel family (Mustelidae) and native to Eurasia and the northern parts of North America. They can also be called ermines or short-tailed weasels.
They are known for their agility, intelligence and seasonal coat transformation. The choice of mascots has further raised discussions about environmental concerns since their ability to change fur colour from summer to winter is making them vulnerable.
As per reports, stoats have the ability to change their coat from brown during summer to white during winter. This allows them to camouflage themselves extremely well during both seasons.
The brown allows them to hide and protect themselves amidst the rocks and bare ground, while the white in winter allows them to blend into the snow. However, due to climate change and snow melting faster, this colour change is happening sooner than ideal, making them vulnerable to other predators.
Marco Granata, a PhD candidate at the University of Turin, studying stoats, explained that, “The ermine faces a mismatch when it finds itself completely white in a world that should be white, but is no longer so.”
He also commented about how the Olympics organisers are not using this opportunity to help out this animal. Speaking with The Associated Press, he said, “It’s ironic because everyone now is talking about stoats, looking for stoats, but no one knows about real stoats, mostly because the Olympic committee didn’t inform the population about it.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: AP News, NBC Olympics, The New York Times
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This post is tagged under: Olympic, winter Olympics, Olympics, Olympic mascot, Olympic mascot viral, Olympic mascot tina, tina and milo, tina milo Olympics, paralympics, Olympics 2026, winter Olympics 2026
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