China’s national team just unveiled their first-ever “teammate” picture, a vibrant, spherical huge panda with its limbs extended. This cheerful panda, which was unveiled during the 2024 China Sports Culture Expo and China Sports Tourism Expo in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, East China, has rapidly become well-known as a distinctive addition to the national squad.
“It’s adorable, who wouldn’t love a ‘teammate’ like this?” Wu Dajing, a Chinese Olympic champion, stated during the exhibition.
Because of its kind and charming demeanor, the giant panda is regarded as China’s national treasure and is well recognized and loved across the world as a symbol of friendship and peace. The principal creator of the panda picture, Lin Cunzhen, an associate professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, told the Global Times that it is very helpful for marketing the national team’s first-ever ‘teammate’ image both domestically and abroad.
When Lin talked about the decision to use the panda as the main motif for the first “teammate” picture of China’s national team, she said that the animal’s meaning of “peace and friendship” fits in nicely with China’s “open, inclusive, and harmonious” international sports image.
The picture of the panda has been carefully designed to balance form and meaning. The design portrays a healthy, self-assured, lively, and cute picture by enclosing the panda with its arms extended, welcoming the future, with a five-point star.
After receiving a commission from China’s General Administration of Sport, Lin’s team sought a character that reflected the traits and essence of the squad. “It’s not just about being cute,” added Lin. “We wanted the panda to represent the core qualities of athletes – strength, confidence, and skill.”
It must also exhibit athletic qualities like agility, power, and speed.
According to Lin, these attributes are well captured by the usage of geometric star forms, which also communicate a feeling of modernism and symbolism and blend in well with the visual aesthetic of the Chinese national team’s logo.
“The star form also represents Chinese sportsmen who shine brilliantly on both domestic and international sporting stages, resembling the many stars in the sky. The galaxy formed by these many stars symbolizes the bright future of Chinese athletics, Lin said. “It also signifies the important mission of the national team members to bring glory to the country and promote the spirit of sportsmanship.”
Six panda characters have been included to better symbolize the vitality and diversity of China’s national team. These pandas each stand for a different activity, including gymnastics, weightlifting, rowing, skateboarding, volleyball, and skateboarding. According to Lin, these exercises were selected to emphasize several athletic qualities, including strength, speed, agility, and technique.
Based on the most recent summer and winter Olympic events, the design team will eventually produce an entire collection of athletic stances with a panda motif.
Along with the panda’s debut, more than 40 additional licensed goods have been released, such as pencil covers, notebooks, and badges that feature the animal in a variety of athletic positions. The goal of these goods is to raise awareness of China’s national team’s identity among sports enthusiasts and the general public outside of the playing field.
The shared athletic spirit of climbing, women’s volleyball, the Beijing Winter Olympics, and other events captures the lovely memories of people from many times and reflects the progress of the country.
At the release ceremony, Yu Jianyong, director of the Sports Equipment Center at the General Administration of Sport of China, stated that generations have been inspired by the spirit displayed by the Chinese national team both on and off the field.
According to Yu, converting this energy into visual components may effectively convey to the general public the spirit of Chinese sports and the power of a new age in China.
The giant panda is a well-known symbol of peace, fraternity, and national identity that has long been a fixture in international sports. From the famous “Panpan” from the 1990 Asian Games and the “Jingjing” from the 2008 Olympic Games to the “Bing Dwen Dwen” at the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the mascot prototype for the 2023 Chengdu Universiade, pandas have long been linked to China’s international sporting events.
This new iteration of the panda as a “teammate” deviates from the traditional mascot function, though.
According to Lin, “This isn’t a mascot,” “We are presenting the idea of a ‘teammate,’ a figure who travels with the national team and supports players in their quest for success. China’s national sports identity will become more approachable and relatable by using the panda as its first “teammate” image, which will increase Chinese sports’ global appeal.
The panda teammate is only the first step toward the future. The idea of “teammates” is very “extensible,” according to Lin, and other “teammates” are anticipated to join in the future, improving the Chinese national team’s depth and brand image.
“The global community’s comprehension of China’s sports identity will be strengthened as a result. As a result, promoting China’s sports culture and image will have limitless potential and sustainability, sustaining enthusiastic interest and participation,” Lin stated.