Bin chicken enters the big leagues as possible Olympic Games mascot contender

The Ibis, more colloquially known as the “bin chicken,” may have just become an unlikely contender to serve as the official mascot for Australia in the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

Best known as a scavenger bird, some may say the Ibis is at the bottom of the bin in terms of its social standing, however with Queensland Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe announcing he had a “soft touch” for the iconic creature, this bird may start to rise above its societal ranks.

“As the Member for Sandgate, I’ve got a quiet sort of soft touch for the idea that the ibis might play a role,” he said.

“And I know there’s plenty of Queenslanders who think that’s something that might be appropriate as well.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said although it was “highly unlikely” this tenacious bird will be the official mascot she will let the “public decide.”

“I’m quite sure there’ll be a lot of public debate but I don’t know if the ibis is going to rate there as number one,” she said.

News of the Ibis’s potential entry to become the official Olympic mascot has already sparked debate on whether there is a more “appropriate” animal to represent the host city.

Cameron Costello, a member of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and the state’s Koala Advisory Council, firmly believes the marsupial is a clear front-runner for the role, saying the publicity will bring much-needed attention to the endangered animal.

“It’s an opportunity for us to look at how we can use the momentum of the Olympics to actually get our endangered species back to the right place they should be,” he tells the ABC.

But as the koala was already previously used as a mascot for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the kangaroo for the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, people have taken to social media to pitch their recommendations on which native animal should be the Games’ mascot.

If Koala is now a bit over-used, if Ibis has the reputation of a scavenger, let’s consider the Emu which is on the Aust Coat of Arms. For the Brisbane Olympic Games Mascot. https://t.co/bEpo4zMLM1

— Camsport37 (@camsport176) April 4, 2022

Forget the Ibis or the Koala, Vote 1 the Powerful Owl(et) for the Olympic mascot! pic.twitter.com/PO1zYJpp00

— Dr Nick (@DoktrNick) April 4, 2022

Both are terrible choices. How about a thorny devil, cassowary, or a striped possum? Something different!https://t.co/IJglgQlE0N via @ABCaustralia

— Professor Euan Ritchie ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? (he/him) (@EuanRitchie1) April 4, 2022

While others have shut down the Ibis mascot recommendation completely.

It seems like Brisbane is considering using the dirty “bin chicken” (Ibis) as its mascot or logo or something for the 2032 Olympics. At least tourists will be able to identify what stole their lunch when they see it flying off gripped firmly in a bird’s beak. pic.twitter.com/xSoMZwGXeP

— Rob Allessandro ???? (@RobAllessandro) April 3, 2022

#TheProjectTV @AnnastaciaMP I know ????% that #Olympic ???? mascots are supposed to be either animal Or { rare case } plants ????. However , what about a genetic member of nippers Or { adult } lifeguard as mascot ? Even the Aussie sun ???? would be better than ” the #binchicken ???? ” .

— John Gjerdrum (@JGjerdrum) April 4, 2022

As the opening ceremony for the 2032 Games draws closer, Hinchliffe says at this point the idea is only a suggestion and will ultimately be left in the hands of the committee to make the final decision.