Well, the official Paris 2024 mascot has been unveiled. And, it sure is a different take, as it is a 'living' embodiment of a traditional 'liberty' symbol from throughout French history...the Phrygian cap.

It certainly is French! And, the Phyrges are a "nod to the revolutionary spirit" Paris 2024 wants to install in the Games, according to the organizing committee's Tony Estanguet.

Of course, there is a colorful characterization story as well. From Paris 2024 regarding the Olympic Phryge: "Always thoughtful and an astute strategist, she embarks on adventures only after carefully weighing up all of the pros and cons. Just like the Olympic athletes, she knows the importance of measuring all the various parameters to achieve her goals."

Earlier thoughts that Paris 2024 might go in such a unique direction proved well-founded. The Olympic Phryge and Paralympic Phyrge join London 2012's Wenlock and Mandeville and Atlanta 1996's Izzy as departures from typical animal-based mascots.

​What do you think?

All the previous 13 Summer Olympics since Munich 1972 have had at least one official mascot, helping to market the Games through personality and fun, while bringing in additional revenue opportunities through licensed paraphernalia.

There's been lots of talk recently in Olympic circles regarding the sports program for Los Angeles 2028 and beyond. Between existing Olympic sports boxing, weightlifting, and modern pentathlon facing potential expulsion, if you will, and the invitation from LA28 to other select sports for consideration, there's been plenty to ponder.

​That LA28 invitation went to nine governing bodies: breaking (which is set for Paris 2024 inclusion), baseball & softball and karate (both of which were unfortunately dropped after Tokyo 2020), squash, flag football, lacrosse, cricket, kickboxing, and motorsports.

​The latter of that list - motorsports is a possible watershed moment on the Olympic program, as it was only in 2012 that the IOC removed from its charter reference to not including any sports where motorization was a key element. 

Flag football would seem a stretch to this rather traditionalist, but there has been world championship events since 2002, and a way for 'American football' to receive a foothold into the Games. But I never thought I'd see breaking in the Games, either. We'll see what develops after these nine sports make their cases later this month. Current guidelines call for an overall athlete cap of 10,500 plus a global youth appeal, limited operation complexity, and sustainable environmental impact.

I know, not every sport can (or should) be in the Games. But in the meantime, though, below are my thoughts on the top ten sports or sport disciplines that I'd like to see make it into a Summer Olympic program. Or at least brought back as a demonstration sport!

What do you think should be in the Games? Let me know in the comments.

And check out my thoughts on recommended new Winter Olympic sports, too.

Albertville 1992 champion Viktor Petrenko in trouble with Ukrainian sports officials  after participation in a figure skating program in Russian.

Olympic karateka Stanislav Horuna is one of many Ukrainian athletes using the current World Games experience to give voice to the war situation at home.

Might Team Russian and Team Belarusian athletes miss Paris 2024?

How does rising Nordic combined athlete Silva Verbic stay motivated in the sport these days?

Olympic trampolinist Dominic Clarke set to join the cast of Cirque du Soleil.

Barcelona 1992 basketball 'Dream Team'-er Magic Johnson takes a Greek holiday that's noticed.

Superstar LeBron James emphatically wades into the discourse on fellow basketball-er Brittney Griner's prolonged detention in Russia.

Might we see Cameroon-born basketball star Joel Embiid on Team France at Paris 2024?

Tokyo 2020 3x3 basketball gold medalist Kelsey Plum wins (a small) WNBA All-Star Game MVP trophy.

BiathlonWorld: Get to know cross-country star-turned-biathlete Anamarija Lampic.

Beijing 2008 volleyball medalist Kim Blass is the victim of a random assault in Los Angeles. Update!

Olympian Alex Ferlazzo looks to deepen Australia's luge future...in the tropics.

Double Olympic champion Monica Abbott awarded the Order of the Golden Diamond for her service to the sport of softball.

Where are they now? Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim checks in with Seoul 1988 and multi-time tennis champion Steffi Graf.

So what's next for Wimbledon tennis champion Novak Djokovic?

What's the connection between Tokyo 2020 tennis medalist Aslan Karatsev and match-fixing?

Is Los Angeles 1984 gold medalist diver and Team China legend Zhou Jihong behind a shakeup at swimming's international federation?

Meet Icelandic veteran gymnast Agnes Suto...who can't retire just yet.

Not even a Major championship title will make Olympic golfer Cameron Smith cut his trademark mullet.

Can rising teenage star Keyshawn Strachan emulate fellow Caribbean stars Keshorn Walcott and Anderson Peters and make a mark in the javelin?

Olympics.com​: Who are 12 rising stars to watch at the World Athletics Championships?

Hussein Abdi Kahin: Four-time Olympic champion runner Mo Farah reveals a surprising truth about his immigration to the United Kingdom.

Count Dalilah Muhammad as ready for a marquee hurdles clash at the World Championships.

49-year-old Australian race walker Kelly Ruddick set to be the oldest ever female World Athletics Championships competitor.

More BBC: With an Olympic medal under her belt, middle-distance runner Laura Muir is even more motivated for success.

Does soon-to-be-retired sprinter Allyson Felix's legacy go beyond the track?

CBC Sports' Devin Heroux has a compelling feature on Team Canada's 800-meter runner Marco Arop, ready to make a mark for his family at the upcoming worlds.

Can Team Italy repeat its Tokyo 2020 4x100 meter relay success at the World Championships?

Team Cuba retention woes continue as javelin thrower Yiselena Ballar stays in Miami while en route to Eugene for the World Championships. (in Spanish)

Euros 2022: How did Team Spain become a contender in women's soccer?

Zoe Claessens and Pedro Benalcazar are two of the eight BMX cyclists training at the UCI World Cycling Center: UCI checks in our their progress.

Will fencer Cheung Ka-long and swimmer Siobhan Haughey win the Hong Kong Sports Stars Awards?

Australian Olympic swimming great Michael Klim reveals a severe auto-immune diagnosis that limits his leg functionality

Schweizer Illustrierte checks in with ski cross champion Ryan Regez and his three-month surfing vacation in southern California. (in German)

Who can forget Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe dressed as video game character 'Super Mario' to help introduce the Tokyo 2020 preview at the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremonies? The indelible image is a classic.

Beyond that, he was noted as a 'valiant supporter and a dear friend of the Olympic Movement' from the International Olympic Committee.

​R.I.P.

I'll take a few days to process the last two weeks+ and the Tokyo 2020 Games. Broadly, my mind is filled with images of quality competition and emotional finishes - along with empty stadiums, and intense heat. What will the legacy of Tokyo 2020 be? Time will tell, but I do feel strongly that the Olympic movement would have been damaged had the Games not taken place.

So many individual stories are striking - Simone Biles' gymnastics withdrawal, Caeleb Dressel's golden performance in the pool, first gold for Philippines, three medals for Ecuador, first medals for San Marino, Team USA squeaking past Team China for the medal table win, a shared high jump gold, double world records in hurdling, and one in the triple jump, and more, more, more...

But the fact that the Games happened at all gave us proof that it could happen, that life is moving forward, that we can be #StrongerTogether. While the global pandemic still goes on, #UnitedbyEmotion we can accomplish big things.

Team Ireland's Natalya Cole puts it succinctly well, on behalf of the athletes.

Thank you to Tokyo, to Japan, to Tokyo 2020, to the Olympics, and to the athletes.