[3] According to Paralympic researcher Dr. Ian Brittain,[4] a squirrel was also chosen because it gets many hard nuts to crack in its lifetime, not unlike people with disabilities who face adversity.

[5] Dutch broadcaster AVRO organized a design competition on its Sportpanorama program where contestants were asked to send in handmade squirrel models.

The entries were judged by a jury which included table tennis player Irene Schmidt and celebrities Martine Bijl [nl], Herman van Veen, Rien Poortvliet and Bert Haanstra.

The winning design was a pair of squirrels – one male and one female – created by Necky Oprinsen from Sint-Michielsgestel.

[1][3] As a prize, Oprinsen was offered a trip for two to New York City by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, the patron of the Games.