Olympic mascot Vinicius named after Brazil poet
The mascot of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Vinicius, is named after Brazilian poet-musician Vinicius de Moraes. The name ‘Vinicius’ was chosen after a public poll, with Brazilians voting for the names of the Olympic and Paralympic mascots, which were unveiled in November 2014. The Rio Organising Committee is expecting the mascot to raise 1 billion reals ($310 million) in merchandising.