One of the cuter Singapore mascots spotted at Raffles City shopping mall some time ago.
He’s the official mascot of the 28th SEA Games and the 8th ASEAN Para Games.
As I thought before I checked it out, Nila is from Sang Nila Utama, the founder of Singapura. His fiery red mane is supposed to inspire passion for sports and his heart-shaped face represents friendship.
The controversy is that Sang Nila Utama thought he saw a lion but in all probability it was a Malayan tiger. But I still associate Singapore with a lion.