Olympia

Basic Profile

Olympia (Chinese: 奥林匹亚, nicknamed Ke Da/科大, Ke Ban Zhang/科班长, Ya Jie/亚姐), studbook number 947, is a female giant panda born on June 22, 2015 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Her mother is Ke Lin (科琳) and her twin sister is Fuwa (福娃).

The Olympic Name

Olympia’s naming story is unusual. In July 2015, the Chengdu Base launched a global naming contest for the twin cubs, receiving over 3,000 submissions from around the world. Among the entries was one from Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He proposed “Olympia” and “Fuwa” — the former evoking the Olympic spirit, the latter echoing the 2008 Beijing Olympics mascots.

In February 2016, after expert review, Bach’s names were selected. The coincidence that the IOC President himself had submitted the winning names made international headlines.

UNDP Ambassador

In September 2015, before she even had a name, Olympia and Fuwa were designated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as Clean Energy Ambassadors for Goal 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals — Affordable and Clean Energy. A flag-raising ceremony was held at the Chengdu Base.

Life Journey

On September 28, 2022, Olympia gave birth to a female cub — her first — adding a new member to the Chengdu Base’s “Olympic family.” The cub was unveiled during a National Day celebration at the base’s Sun Nursery.