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.
Every few years, the Olympics roll around to prove that, yes, the world’s best athletes can jump farther, swim faster, and generally crush records that would’ve been impossible just a few decades ago. Take ski jumping - the world record has increased by well over 200 meters in fewer than 100 years. Responsible for this is a lot of intentional engineering of equipment and hills, but perhaps the biggest change is thanks to one act of human daring. Watch to find out how!
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Today, Apolo Ohno is much more than a former Olympian. He's an entrepreneur, sports analyst, speaker, and New York Times bestseller. His latest book, 'Hard Pivot,' is a guide for any person learning to adapt or wanting to reinvent themselves, just as Ohno did over a decade ago. Ohno joins Cheddar News to discuss.
