东京奥组委22日正式公布2020年奥运会和残奥会吉祥物的名称，分别为“Miraitowa”和“Someity”。两个吉祥物由日本小学生选出，超过1.67万所学校参与了投票。

 Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa and Paralympic mascot Someity wave on stage during the mascots' debut in Tokyo, Japan, July 22, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Japan has unveiled the names of its mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

日本近日揭晓了2020年东京奥运会和残奥会吉祥物的名字。

Blue and white checked character "Miraitowa"(pronounced miray-towa)-- combining the two Japanese words of "Mirai"(future) and "towa" (eternity) -- will appear at the Olympic Games.

蓝白格奥运吉祥物Miraitowa（读音miray-towa）的名字由日文单词“Mirai（未来）”和“towa（永远）”组合而成。

The Paralympics' pink and white "Someity"(pronounced soh-may-tee) is named after the cherry blossom variety "Someiyoshino," with Games organizers saying the name echoes "so mighty" in English.

粉白色残奥吉祥物Someity（读音soh-may-tee）的名字来自于樱花品种“Someiyoshino（染井吉野樱）”，组委会称，这个名字与英文词组“so mighty（如此强大）”谐音。

Tokyo 2020 released a shortlist of mascot pairs in December last year and asked schoolchildren in Japan and Japanese schools outside the country to vote for their favorites. More than 16,700 schools participated.

东京奥组委在去年12月公布了奥运吉祥物的候选名单，请国内小学和海外日语学校的小学生为他们最喜爱的吉祥物投票。超过1.67万所学校参与了投票。

The voting process was part of the country's nationwide education program called "Yoi Don!" which means "Get Set!". The program aims to teach children the values of the Games and allow them to get involved in initiatives linked to Tokyo 2020.

这次投票也是日本全国Yoi Don!（预备开始！）教育项目的一部分。该教育项目旨在让孩子们理解奥运会的价值，并让他们参与到与2020年东京奥运会有关的活动中来。

The two futuristic, superhero creatures chosen were unveiled in February, without names.

今年二月，组委会宣布这两个未来主义的超级英雄机器人胜出，但没有公布吉祥物的名字。

The mascot's profile pages describe their personalities.

吉祥物的资料页描述了它们的个性特征。

Miraitowa is a character "that embodies both old tradition and new innovation," says the description.

其中描述称，Miraitowa“将古老传统与创新融为一体”。

"(Miraitowa) has an old-fashioned charm that reflects tradition and also has a high-tech, cutting edge vibe. It has strong sense of justice, and is very athletic. The Mascot has a special power allowing it to move any where instantaneously," it says.

“Miraitowa不仅有着传统魅力，还带有高科技的前沿感。他极具正义感，而且体格健壮。它有瞬间移动到任何地方的超能力。”

Miraitowa is said to be "very good friends" with Someity, who is a "cool character with cherry tactile sense and supernatural power. "

据称，Miraitowa和Someity是“非常要好的朋友”。 Someity“性格沉着冷静，具有樱花的触觉与超能力。”

"(Someity) is usually calm, however, it gets very powerful when needed. It has a dignified inner strength and a kind heart that loves nature. It can talk with stones and the wind. It can also move things by just looking at them," according to the profile.

“Someity通常很冷静，但有需要时它会变得非常强大。它信念坚定，心地善良，热爱大自然。它可以与石和风对话，能用目光移动物体。”

Mascots have been used at the Olympic Games since 1968 to represent the culture of the host country. There have been mascots of all shapes and sizes -- from dachshunds to bears, Greek gods to alien-like hybrids that incorporated aspects of the host's culture, history or wildlife.

自1968年以来，人们就用奥运吉祥物来代表主办国的文化。从腊肠犬到小熊，从希腊古典神话的神再到酷似外星人的机器人，奥运吉祥物的外形和大小各式各样，融合了主办国的文化、历史和野生动物等各个方面的元素。

The Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on July 24, 2020, and run through until August 9.

东京奥运会将于2020年7月24日开幕，8月9日闭幕。

The Paralympics will take place between August 25 and September 6.

东京残奥会将在2020年8月25日至9月6日之间举行。