Every 2026 Winter Games medalist left the rink last week with two souvenirs: the customary disc of colored metal and a palm-sized white stoat named Tina.
[IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER_0]
Milano-Cortina Adds Plush Mascot to Medal Ceremonies
For the first time at a Winter Games, organizers paired the medal with an instant mascot gift. Seconds after the anthem ended, athletes stepped to a side dais where volunteers tucked a miniature Tina—black-tipped tail included—into each gloved hand. The idea, lifted from Summer Youth Olympics since 2010, turned normally reserved downhillers into smiling toy-holders under the floodlights of Cortina’s Ice Stadium.
Who Are Tina and Flo
Tina is the winter-phase stoat, fur bleached to alpine white; Milo is her chestnut summer coat, used mainly in branding. Flo, a thumb-high snow sprite, perches on Tina’s shoulder in posters but was produced as a separate four-centimeter plush so fans can pair them. Stoats—locally “ermellini”—have hunted along Dolomite river stones for centuries, making the mustelid a region-specific pick instead of the usual bear or lynx.
Same Stoat for Gold, Silver, and Bronze
IOC rules split Olympic hardware into placement awards (medals) and cultural keepsakes (plushes). Because plushes are “non-placement victory mementoes,” every athlete on the podium receives identical toys. Canadian goaltender Logan Thompson, back at Washington’s morning skate three days later, called the stoat “a small nod to the mountains we competed in” before slipping it into his equipment bag bound for Arlington.
Resale Prices Hit €120 Within 48 Hours
Roughly 1,800 medals were handed out, capping the Tina-plus-Flo duo at under 4,000 units. Within two days of the men’s hockey final, German site Kleinanzeigen listed sealed pairs at €120–€150; single Tinas moved at €70. Olympics.store says no restock is planned, pushing Facebook group “Olympic Plush Trackers” to log which athletes are auctioning theirs for youth-sport charities.
Where Fans Can Still Find Official Items
Retail versions may appear on Olympics.store after the March 15 Paralympic closing, but quantities will be limited. Autograph hunters can target figure-skating medalists’ “fan ice” sessions in Torino next month; most athletes pack their plushes for promos. Photograph the certificate card stitched inside each toy—buyers now want proof of podium origin, and the serial prefix “MC-26-V” marks victory-ceremony issue.
[IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER_1]
[IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER_2]
Useful Resources
- Olympics.store – Official post-Games restock alerts for Milano-Cortina mascot merchandise
- Olympic World Library Mascot Archive – Historical reference for every Winter and Summer Games mascot since 1968
- Mustelid Conservation Group – Fact sheets on stoat habitat and seasonal coat change, useful for educators
- Team USA Auctions – Verified charity listings where American athletes occasionally auction podium souvenirs
Comments