Football
Reuters 18y

Soccer-Nameless twins chosen as Euro 2008 mascots

By Mark Ledsom

VIENNA, Sept 27 - Organizers of the 2008 European
soccer championship unveiled two spiky-haired twins as the
tournament's official mascots on Wednesday 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".

However, one newspaper has already pointed out that "Zigi"
is a slang word in the Swiss German dialect for "cigarette".

"Trix" is also more commonly used as a girl's name in
Switzerland (an abbreviation for Beatrice or Beatrix), prompting
one journalist to ask about the gender of the mascots.

"They are both boys -- I assume," was the hesitant reply of
Austrian football association president Friedrich Stickler.

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 29.

The Swiss cities of Bern, Geneva and Zurich will also host
matches along with Austria's Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt.

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