Asian Games mascots: how does 2018 trio of Bhin Bhin, Atung and Kaka compare to creations of decades past?
Late to the party compared to the Olympics and World Cup, the continent’s host cities have made up for lost time with their creations
The Asian Games opening ceremony takes place on Saturday and the Asiad’s three mascots are sure to take centre stage in Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
This is the 18th Asian Games and the 10th to have an official mascot. While the Olympic Games opted for a mascot in 1968 when Grenoble hosted the Winter Games and the World Cup has been anthropomorphising footballs and animals since World Cup Willie for 1966 in England, the Asian Games did not get on the bandwagon until 1982 when India hosted and unveiled Appu the Elephant.
Despite being late to the party there have been some unforgettable efforts approved by the organising committees.
1982: Appu the elephant – New Delhi, India
As well as the cartoon image, there was a live elephant named Appu that became the mascot of the event. The authorities did not want to make a live animal the mascot but the elephant reportedly captured the public imagination. He fell into a tank in 1992 and was maimed forever but only died in Kerala in his late 20s in 2005.