Blue koala Borobi revealed as official mascot for 2018 Commonwealth Games

Borobi, the blue surfing koala, was revealed as the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games official mascot as he was winched out of a helicopter and onto a Burleigh beach on Monday.

Upper Kedron teacher Merrilyn Krohn’s design was picked from 4,000 entries in a national competition.

The design was inspired by Matilda the Kangaroo, the 1982 Commonwealth Games mascot, local media reported.

Most people seemed to approve of the mascot.

“With his surfboard under his arm, yes, looks really good, yes,” a fan at the beach said while another added, “I think it looks really good. I think it really suits the Gold Coast.”

Borobi is the aboriginal name for koala in the Yugembah language and joins the ranks of previous characters like Clyde the Thistle from Glasgow 2014.

The games will run from April 4 to April 15, 2018.