17/01/2018 Newsround

Hi, I'm Martin, and this is your

Wednesday afternoon Newsround.

Here's what we've

got for you today...

Big discoveries

in the deep blue sea.

Plus...

The fluffy twins who are getting

ready for penguin preschool.

Keep watching.

First up, to Japan, and a big

decision that's being made by kids.

School children across the country

are getting to choose a very

important part of the next

Olympic Games, that will be

hosted in their country.

Here's more.

What do most big sporting

events have in common?

Amazing athletes?

Superb sports?

Well, yes, but also

mascots, of course.

Every primary school class in Japan

is voting for the mascots they want

for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic

games, which is to be held

in their home country.

So who's in the running?

Could these be the next Olympic

and Paralympic mascots,

representing tradition

and the cutting-edge tech that

Japan is famous for?

Or perhaps this Olympic hopeful,

based on a cat and a fox,

partnered up with this Paralympic

hopeful, based on a dog.

And last but not least

this fox and raccoon.

Red and white, just

like the Japanese flag.

TRANSLATION:

I like

the character's energetic pose

and its clenched fist.

TRANSLATION:

I like the smiling

face of the character,

which I think is cute.

TRANSLATION:

His chubby

cheeks are so cute.

Schools across Japan have

got until mid-February

to cast their votes.

The Olympics and Paralympics

are amongst the biggest sporting

events in the world -

so choose carefully, please.

Next, if you look up

to the sky when you're out

and about you could spot a few

birds, maybe even a plane.

If you're in Colombia, though,

you might have been lucky

enough to spot this.

These beautiful pictures show

the Paragliding World Cup.

Competitors fly in a special harness

hanging from a fabric wing.

They had to race an 81.2 kilometre

course over stunning

mountains and valleys.

Looks like a breeze to me!

Now, from high in the sky

to deep in the ocean.

Fancy a dip?

Well, you might need

to get your flippers

on for this next one,

and you'll definitely need to be

able to hold your breath

for a really long time,

because divers have made an exciting

discover in the sea off

the coast of Mexico.

Here's more.

This isn't just any

old underwater cave.

Oh, no!

This is the longest

underwater cave in the world.

A group of divers discovered

it in Mexico, and it's

over 200 miles long.

That's the same distance

from London to Paris.

At the bottom of the cave,

they found pots and relics belonging

to the Mayan people,

who lived in Mexico

over 1000 years ago.

They hope this discovery

will help them to understand

more about what life

was like for the Mayans.

Now, more on the wintry

weather that's been causing

disruption in the UK.

Heavy snowfall last night caused

problems on the roads and left many

schools in Scotland,

Northern Ireland and some parts

of northern England closed.

We asked for your snowy snaps,

and it looks like you've

been having great fun.

The kids at Our Lady's RC Primary

in West Lothian did make

it into school today,

and they discovered their science

garden had a whopping 14.5

centimetres of snow!

Wow!

And just down the road

at Head of Muir Primary,

class four and five have

been having fun.

Looks like they've been

building a snow fortress.

Amazing!

Thanks for all your photos.

Remember you can visit Newsround

online anytime to keep up

with what's going on.

Why not head over there right now

to find out how some important

memories from around the world

are being looked after in a way

you might not expect?

And while you're there you've got

to try our quiz Peng-Win or Lose.

Get it?!

And on the subject of penguins,

check out these cuties!

The penguin pair are

three-month-old twins.

They're the first of their kind

to be born at the aquarium

where they live in north-east China.

They're known as chinstrap penguins

and they get their name

from the mark they have

under their chin which looks

like a strap - obvz!

That's all we've got time for today.

Have a great evening.

If you want to check out the rest of

the day's stories, heads to

newsround online. There is something

about big cats which is really cool.

Goodbye!