Unusual. [En images] A mascot made in Chamonix walks around the Beijing Olympics

It’s a small gift that turns into a “mascot”. Nothing to do with the kind of manufactured object produced on the other side of the world. This little character was imagined, designed and made in Chamonix.

This story is that of a long-standing friendship. Olivier Michaud, director of the French cross-country ski teams since last year, is entrusted by his friend Christophe Poirot, artisan carpenter, with one of his creations from the first confinement. This original little character, as he has been creating in his spare time for two years on the various mountain themes, finds himself in a suitcase for the Olympic Games. And since his arrival in Beijing, Olivier Michaud has been wandering around this little piece of Haute-Savoie all over the place.

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The rest is as simple as the garden gnome in the film “Amélie Poulain” who travels the planet. This little wooden character goes from hand to hand in the French delegation present in Beijing. Martin Fourcade, Vincent Vittoz, Quentin Fillon Maillet and his gold medal, Olivier Michaud has fun with winks for his lifelong friend, Christophe Poirot, who relays his images on his Instagram account.

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Beyond the joke, the little story is above all a reflection of the great history of the Winter Olympics with the Alpine world. In each station, how many athletes have lived for a medal hope? From the first Winter Games in 1924 in Chamonix to Beijing 2022, the capital of mountaineering has more than a hundred representatives. But above all, how much are they linked to the Olympic fervor, by their background, their loved ones or their family? On site in Beijing, Damien Freitag and Paco Ruby are in charge of timing the alpine skiing events, one being the nephew of the late Karine Ruby, Olympic snowboard champion.

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