London Olympics Football to be Named by a Fan

THE FOOTBALL used at the London Olympics 2012 is to be named by a fan, sponsor and ball maker Adidas has announced.

Anyone can put forward an idea for the ball’s name and, as well as becoming part of Olympic history, the winning entrant gets tickets for this year’s Champions League cup final.

“One lucky person will make a real mark on the tournament by naming the ball,” said Lord Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.

“What an opportunity to be part of Olympic history.”

Those with bright ball ideas should bear in mind that the name for the ball, “needs to combine all the excitement and vibrancy of the Games with everything that’s great about the UK”, as Adidas puts it.

Not easy to encompass all that in a word. But one tip is to steer clear of anything that sounds like Jabulani, the much-criticised Adidas ball used for last year’s World Cup. Chavuani is out, then.

Entries have to be in by the end of this month, 28 February.