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Lifestyle
Kelly Summers, Assistant Professor of History, Department of Humanities, MacEwan University

Phryge, the friendly Paris Olympics 2024 mascot, and the real meaning of red liberty caps

Olympics Paris Olympics France Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Republic

The Paris 2024 mascots have charmed and perplexed fans of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mascot creators were inspired by “the famous Phrygian cap — a symbol of freedom.”

The red Olympic Phryge (pronounced FREE-juh) and Paralympic Phryge — together the Phryges — may seem innocuous. But the Phrygian symbol upon which they are based has a fraught global history that challenges the narrative of freedom and unity the Olympics, and its French hosts in particular, want to tell.

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