New Mascots Revealed

The official mascots for the Euro 2008 tournament were revealed this week and now the X Factor-type process continues with Austrian and Swiss residents now choosing their names from "Zagi and Zigi", "Flitz and Bitz" or "Trix and Flix".

They may look more like charecters of a famous cartoon or console game, however, they're supposed to represent the national colours of Austria and Switzerland and their hairstyles were modeled on the Alps!

Ralph Zloczower said on the official UEFA website that the two mascots wearing white and red symbolised the host countries' "love for the game". He added: "We chose two because it always takes two people to play football." These sentiments were echoed by Friedrich Stickler, who said: "Mascots know no borders. Neither mascot represents one of the countries, but both represent our united qualities. Our countries have a lot in common, and they reflect the team spirit that has characterised our co-operation." Bruno Schwobthaler, on behalf of Warner Bros., said that it had taken 4,000 man hours to develop 100 different figures from which the two mascots were finally selected. "The project had major priority and we are very proud of the outcome; of our twins," he said.