AUSTRIA: Euro 2008 mascots are unveiled in Vienna

Organizers of the 2008 European soccer championship unveiled two spiky-haired twins as the tournament's official mascots on Wednesday (September 27) but said the pair were yet to be named. The pair, whose haircuts are intended to resemble the mountains of host nations Austria and Switzerland, will be christened next month following a naming competition among supporters. Fans in the two countries can choose from the names "Zagi and Zigi", "Flitz and Bitz" or "Trix and Flix". "The mascot is supposed to symbolize the love for the game both hosting countries feel. the dynamics, the modernity and the progress" said Swiss Football Association (SFV) President Ralph Zloczower. "There is no decision as to which mascot stands for which country", said Friedrich Stickler, President of the Austrian Football Association. "Mascots do not know country borders and we do have differences between the countries, but we have many things in common and we do want to do everything better than anybody else before us, and this is what those mascots are all about. There is not one for Austria and one for Switzerland, we just have two mascots standing together. If somebody wants to specify them, they are welcome, but we do not want to," Stickler added. Organizers said the merchandising for the championship would begin in the middle of next year, with the mascots set to feature on around half of the 2,000 planned products. The tournament is due to kick off in Basel's St Jakob stadium on June 7, 2008, with the final being staged in Vienna's Ernst Happel stadium on June The Swiss cities of Bern, Geneva and Zurich will also host matches along with Austria's Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt.

ITN Source | September 28, 2006

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