Lele, the mascot of Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, practice calligraphy in the Main Media Centre of Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, August 19, 2014. [Xinhua/Cao Can]

Let the young people enjoy the games is an important aim of the event, says an article in the People’s Daily. Excerpts:

Le Le, the mascot of the 2nd Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, looked ugly to many at the first sight when the games kicked off early this month. But the mascot’s rising popularity, as the games draw to a close, proves that the mascot was a success as it fits young people’s way of thinking and perception.

Cui Xinye, a postgraduate student in Beijing and the creator of Le Le, said the river stones in Nanjing, called Yuhuashi, gave him the inspiration for the mascot, which looks like a colorful cobblestone.

Lively performance by volunteers in Le Le’s costumes at various sites where the games were being held under media’s spotlight contributed to the mascot’s fame increasing overnight on the social media.

Mascots of big sports events held previously in China were usually designed by established artists and agencies.

Nanjing Youth Olympics

Le Le’s success shows that big event organizers should pay more attention to ordinary people’s innovation and wisdom. It also reveals that publicity is also important for success.

In the social media era, it is no longer necessary for the government to promote the mascot through large-scale activities.

The 120 volunteers who performed in Le Le costumes during the games came from four universities in Nanjing. They were not professional dancers, and had only received one month basic training on performance. They enjoyed their volunteer work.

“Le Le’s popularity tell us that we should just let young people do the things they want, especially when they are good at it,” said Nanjing Mayor Liao Ruilin.

Hopefully, the Youth Olympic Game in Nanjing can be a turning point in China as far as establishing the concept among authorities and people in concerned that happiness and growth of the young people are what the games are for, not for winning medals.