Why Olympians are given stuffed animals at medal ceremonies, explained

The medal ceremonies at the 2026 Winter Games have looked different from past Olympic ceremonies. Not only do athletes get their medals, but they earn a commemorative stuffed animal as well.

The animal in question? Tina the Stoat, one of the official mascots of the Milano Cortina Games.

This is one of those ideas that sounds great on paper, but when athletes who have dedicated their entire lives to being the best in the world at their sport finish just short of achieving that goal, many of them may not seem that thrilled to earn a stuffed stoat, as was evidenced when the Canadian men’s ice hockey team was handed their animals after losing the gold medal match in overtime to the United States.

But what is going on with these plushies? What is a stoat? And what is ‘The Flo’ that allegedly tags along?

Who is Tina the Stoat? What is ‘The Flo’?

Tina is one of the 2026 Olympics mascots, alongside sibling Milo.

The pair are joined by a group of six ‘impish’ creatures referred to as ‘The Flo.’ ‘The Flo’ are known for ‘never [leaving] their friends [Tina and Milo],’ per NBCOlympics.com. That group of six is then split up into two sets of triplets — one representing the Olympics and the other, the Paralympics.

As has become tradition in recent Olympics, each medalist is given a gift alongside their medal. In this instance, it is two plushies. Olympians are given a plush of Tina the Stoat as well as one of their corresponding Flo, while Paralympians are given a Milo the Stoat plush as well as one of their own corresponding Flo.

What is a stoat?

A stoat is a small mammal, part of the weasel family, but most closely related to otters and ferrets. One of the most interesting aspects of a stoat is how they change color. During the winter, they’ll turn white to blend in with their surroundings, taking after Tina. In the summer, they are brown, more closely resembling Milo.

Stoats are native to Eurasia and northern parts of North America. They were also introduced to New Zealand in the 19th century to control rabbit populations, but ended up having a negative effect on native bird populations.

Males of the population measure roughly between 7.4 and 12.8 inches long, while females usually come in slightly smaller, between 6.7 and 10.6 inches.