Borobi the surfing koala is the mascot for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
He was winched down onto Burleigh Beach from a helicopter on Monday morning and handed a new surfboard from surfing legend Mark Occhilupo.
As a child Borobi was constantly told koalas couldn't surf but he didn't listen, according to the folklore of a slick launch video.
Apparently, the blue marsupial took to the waves, his fur eventually changing colour thanks to countless wipeouts in his quest to master the waves.
The product of thousands of entries in a design competition, with a little honing from a professional, was "determined", "a warrior" and a "little champion", not to mention "tenacious", "energetic" and "up for a challenge".
The mascot's hands feature indigenous designs and the name came from a local indigenous language, Seven News reported.
