Interviewer: Can you elaborate on the competition, please?
Chernyshenko: This is a very important event for us. The history of the international Olympic and Paralympic movement will for the first time see ordinary people taking part in the voting which will help choose the Olympic Mascot of the Sochi Games. We all remember the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980, when its mascot Misha the Bear has been a symbol of the whole epoch over the past thirty years. As for the Sochi Games mascot, we do hope that it will also be in tune with Russia’s national cultural features, something that will be widely popular among people of all ages, nationalities and walks of life. First and foremost, the Sochi Games talisman should be popular among children, of course. This is something all those participating in the competition should bear in mind when dealing with the design of the future Olympic Mascot. All the more so that previous studies indicate that any Olympic talisman should be first of all appreciated by children.
Interviewer: When will the competition kick off? When will the first results be announced?
Chernyshenko: The event, which was unveiled on September 1, is due to wrap up on December 5. Every Russian resident will have a chance to submit their ideas for the mascot during a three-month time period by submitting applications via a competition portal, talisman.sochi2014.ru, or by mail. Post office box is Moscow 105, 275. The winning entry will be chosen by a national vote on February 7, 2011, three years before the Games begin. The results will be announced during live television broadcasting. Actually, the entire country will be making a final choice.
Interviewer: Would you specify the rules of the competition?
Chernyshenko: There are absolutely no restrictions as far as competition bids and demands are concerned. The main thing is that a mascot project could promote the Russian Olympic movement and reflect the country’s perennial and modern-day cultural values. Plus, each and every project should make people feel good, being interesting and unique by nature.
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