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Dragon Krakusek will not be alone! The mascot of the European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023 will be joined by the second one – Sandra Salamander.

On Friday we announced that the mascot of the European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023 has officially been chosen. Dragon Krakusek was followers favorite, and the Organizing Committee shared the same opinion. But the discussion was heated and didn’t end with the moment of announcing the winner.

Among the final three projects, the Salamander and the Dragon went hand in hand, and Sandra was pipped at the post. The numbers of votes were very similar. The black and gold lizard conquered the hears of internet users and the Organizing Committee. All the votes for the creature could not be taken for granted, so we decided to bring her to life. She will join the Dragon to implement our motto “We are unity”. We’re different, but we’re united. Sport has the power of bringing us closer together.

The fire salamander lives in southern Poland – in the region where the European Games will take place. Its name derives probably from Persian, where „salamander” means „living in the fire”. Fire salamanders like being near the flames, so without a doubt Sandra is going to feel great accompanied by Krakus, and the fire of peace spread upon Małopolska. Sandra symbolizes a real creature, while the dragon comes from the legends. Together, they combine two worlds – the same way that sport does. After all, the concept of Olympism on its symbolic level refers to connecting the opposite elements.

– The motto of the Games is “We are unity”. So, we’ve decided that our dragon needs company – admits the President of the Organizing Committee, Marcin Nowak. – In the past, I’ve participated in lots of sporting events, which had two, or even three mascots, and it worked perfectly. The mascots can interact, and I think the more of them, the more likely they are to connect with an audience.

The author of the Krakusek Dragon is Katarzyna Biśta from Libiąż, and the Sandra Salamander was drawn by Gloria Goryk. Gloria is 10 years old and she’s a school student in Wojnicz. Both will be awarded the same way. They are going to be invited with families to the VIP section for the opening and closing ceremonies of the European Games. They will also receive personalized mascots and official EG2023 gadgets.