The mascot for next year's European Championship in Germany will be a teddy bear — and this time it won't be naked from the waist down.
The mascot made its first appearance Tuesday morning by surprising children at a primary school in Gelsenkirchen, where it was set to appear again later before the team’s friendly game against Colombia.
The large-headed mascot with big eyes has shorts — in contrast to the 2006 World Cup mascot, a lion named “Goleo” that was widely ridiculed for not having pants.
The as-yet unnamed teddy bear also has a soccer jersey, socks and boots. Fans were to help name it by choosing between Albärt, Bärnardo, Bärnheart or Herzi von Bär. “Bär” is the German word for bear.
“As a parent, I know how important it is to stimulate children’s imagination,” Euro 2024 tournament director Philipp Lahm said. “With the launch of our tournament mascot, we hope to create a fun and likeable character that will inspire them to enjoy playing football.”
The mascot is due to appear in host cities over the next year. Germany will host the tournament from June 14-July 14, 2024.
Five women have been named to the U.S. short-track speedskating team for the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Among those five, there was only one returning Olympian of the group, Maame Biney, who competed in the 2018 Olympics as the first African-American woman to ever qualify for the U.S. short-track speedskating team. JD sat down with Biney to discuss how she's preparing for the games.
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Carlo and Baker cover the heartening news on the Covid front ahead of the holiday, plus President Biden punting student loan repayments again, a new space telescope and Love, Hate, Ate: Christmas Eve Eve Edition!
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Cam Rogers, host of 'Lock It In with Cam Rogers,' and betting analyst at the Bleav Podcast Network, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down how sportsbooks - and bettors - need to adapt to changes to sporting events due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
