The Beijing 2008 Olympic organizing committee Monday confirmed that they had changed the English name of the five mascots from Friendlies to Fuwa in order to make it easier to memorize.

"The reason to change the English name to the pinyin form is that Fuwa is more accessible and easy to remember," Beijing Olympic organizing committee official Hu Chunzheng told Xinhua.

"So it will be a better name to promote the five mascots," he added.

He said that all Olympic souvenirs and Olympic posters with Friendlies on them will be replaced.

As for the reason to change the name, Beijing Daily Messenger had different explanation.

The local newspaper said that since the unveiling of the mascots last November, the accuracy of its English translation, the Five Friendlies, of the mascots Fuwa which literally means kids embodying blessings in Chinese, has been questioned by the public.

Some think the English name may be misleading as "Friendly" has two meanings in English, a friendly person or a game played for pleasure or practice.

"Friendlies" carrying a similar pronunciation to the word "Friendless" is another flaw, said the newspaper.

The mascots of the Beijing Olympic Games consist of five cartoon figures - a fish, a panda, a Tibetan antelope, a swallow and the Olympic flame - encompassing five elements of nature - the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky. Each has a two-syllable name in English, and a combination of the first syllable from each name reads Beijing Huan Ying Ni or Beijing welcomes you.

Source: Xinhua