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
