Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, head of Athens 2004, presented the medal and mascot of the 2004 Paralympic Games at a special event Tuesday at the Conference Centre of the Organising Committee.
On one side the emblem has the words “12th Paralympic Games ATHENS 2004” in Greek and in Braille.
On the reverse side of the emblem the Acropolis is depicted in “an artistically perfect engraving, differentiating the medal of the Athens Paralympic Games from medals of previous events”.
In presenting the mascot of the Paralympic Games Angelopoulos-Daskalaki stressed that “our strategic choice was for the mascot of the Paralympic Games to express a uniform visual identity, portraying the equality with which Athens 2004 deals with both events – the Olympic and Paralympic Games”.
She added that the organizing committee turned to Spyros Gongos, the creator of Phevos and Athena, and asked him to create a mascot, which would express the four values of the Athens Paralympic Games – strength, pursuit, inspiration and celebration.
According to the Athens 2004 Web site the mascot, named Proteas, was inspired by the sea, which from antiquity played a major role in the lives of Greeks and inspired the Greek soul. He is a sea horse, named after an ancient deity of the sea and his name contains the meaning of being the first – the ultimate aim of the Paralympic Games.
