UNITED BUDDY BEARS SHOW - Astana 2010

"Olympic Ambassadors"

Greece is the host of the Olympic Games in 2004, but above all the home of the antique Olympic Games and the idea of peace related to them. In ancient Greece there was a commitment to international peace during the Olympic Games.

I've dedicated my "Olympic bear" to this sports event and its ideals of international understanding.

The main colour is blue, the colour of Greece, the sea and the sky. This blue hasn't been applied evenly, but in light and dark shades representing the ups and downs of life. Laurel leaves and victor's laurels, the insignia of success of the antique Olympics, are woven into it. They are painted in white, the colour of peace and have a thin speckled layer of fine gold, the symbol of wealth and sports victories.

These victory and peace speckles should make it clear: Neither success in sports nor international peace are handed to us on a plate, but have to be worked for during strenuous training sessions, overcoming endless hardships and defeats. Victory and peace also belong together, as contradictory as that may sound. Wherever they have been achieved, they are volatile and fragile and may disappear quickly.

Our "Olympic Ambassador" fights against this volatility in upright, strapping victory pose. He proudly and happily defends the values he symbolises. He is striding light-footedly and in high spirits towards a victorious golden and peaceful white future.

Leda Luss-Luyken