The mascots will be announced by Beth Lula, the Rio 2016 brand director, who has led the team responsible for the selection, design and development of the mascots.

There will be one mascot for the Olympics and one for the Paralympics. 

The mascots from Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, Athená and Fu Niu Lele, visited Vista Chinesa, a monument located in Tijuca National Park, with tourists at the site being able to take pictures and play with the distinguished guests.

It was expected that the Rio 2016 mascots would have been unveiled in time to welcome its counterparts, but that has not happened.

Tourists were given the opportunity to play with the mascots ©Rio 2016




Athená and Fu Niu Lele will be joined by the mascots from Moscow 1980, Misha, and London 2012, Wenlock and Mandeville, today, as they visit the Sugerloaf Mountain, a peak situated at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean.

They are also due to be taken on a mini tour of the Maracanã Stadium, scheduled to host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Games.

Children from the Rio 2016 Education Programme will accompany the mascots on the visits, which will involve picnics and storytelling about the Games.