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Estonia's Olympic Hopes Depart with 'Oak Leaf' Mascot
Estonian curling duo Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill departed from Tallinn Airport for the Milano Cortina Olympic Games, accompanied by the official "Tammeleht" mascot, which was selected from a record 1577 entries in a children's drawing competition.
- —Estonian curling duo Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill were seen off at Tallinn Airport for the Milano Cortina Olympic Games, accompanied by the official "Tammeleht" (Oak Leaf) mascot.
- —The "Tammeleht" mascot was selected through a drawing competition organized by the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, the Estonian Olympic Committee, the Estonian Paralympic Committee, and ERR's Children's Screen.
- —The drawing competition received a record 1577 entries, with the winning design chosen by a jury and subsequently by public vote in December.
- —Ten-year-old Kristelle Pachel won the public vote with her "Tammeleht" mascot, which she designed to symbolize speed, endurance, courage, and precision, drawing inspiration from Estonia's national tree.
- —Kaldvee and Lill, competing in their first Olympic Games, expressed pride in representing Estonia and found the mascot to be "powerful, very Estonian, and lovely."
Recap
The send-off for Estonia's Olympic curling team is being framed as a national project, using a publicly-designed mascot to foster unity and cultural identity. The selection process, which drew massive youth participation, transforms the athletes' journey into a shared national endeavor, leveraging the "Tammeleht" symbol as a tool of soft power on an international stage.