Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Eight-year-old from Surrey selected as one of Team GB’s first-ever Mini Mascots

Eight-year-old Dora McHardy, from Surrey, has been selected as one of Team GB's Mini Mascots ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Pictures by Alice Mann

An eight-year-old from Surrey has been selected as one of Team GB’s first-ever Mini Mascots ahead of this summer’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Team GB received over 20,000 entries from parents and guardians who applied for the chance for their child to be selected.

Following the nomination process, a shortlist was asked why they’d love to be chosen as a Mini Mascot and were judged by the BOA Athletes’ Commission.

Representing all four home nations, the final six mascots are as follows:

With just six months to go until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the British Olympic Association has announced the six children that have been selected to be Team GB’s first-ever Mini Mascot

– Josh Davidson, aged nine from Glasgow

– Dora McHardy, aged eight from Surrey

– Alice Wu, aged eight from Leeds

– Amelia Cropera, aged 11 from Belfast

– Elliott Lefley, aged 11 from Devon

– Santino Perrin, age nine from Bury Port

The Mini Mascots will support Team GB athletes all the way to Paris, from kitting out - where athletes will head to Birmingham to collect their Olympic kit - to local team announcements and participating in Team GB Fanzones to watch the action and cheer on Team GB.

Carly Hodgson, Team GB head of marketing said: “We’re so excited to announce the first-ever Mini Mascots and welcome Josh, Dora, Alice, Amelia, Elliott, and Santino to Team GB for the first time.

“The passion from the six finalists came through in their entry videos and it was brilliant to see this come to life when meeting them in person.

“They will be an asset in rallying their communities and the nation to support Team GB in the run up to Paris, in a role that we know will be hugely exciting and inspiring for both them and our athletes.

“We’re especially happy that the children who made it through the application process represent each of the home nations which make up Team GB - England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.”

The children were introduced to each other for the first-time last year, participating in a photo shoot and meet-and-greet with canoe slalom Olympic silver medallist, Mallory Franklin.

Mallory said: “I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the Mini Mascots and found it incredibly inspiring to see the next generation are so excited to cheer us on from the sidelines.

“It is a really important initiative to not only get kids involved in sport, but also to give athletes like myself even more motivation to succeed this year.

“I may be biased, but the Olympics are the greatest sporting event and I am excited for Josh, Dora, Alice, Amelia, Elliott, and Santino to experience this in a never-seen-before way.”

If you’d like to hear more about the Mini Mascots and follow their journey, head to TeamGB.com/SignUp.