Beijing time officially appeared in Johannesburg, South Africa in the early morning of September 23rd, 2008. The Organizing Committee of the World Cup in South Africa also set a date of birth for Zakumi, who was born in June 1994, which is of epoch-making significance for South Africa, which ended apartheid. So Zakumi also represents the new South Africa. Jordan, chairman of the organizing Committee, said at the mascot release ceremony: "Zakumi is young, active, intelligent, confident, friendly and enthusiastic." FIFA Secretary-General valco, who attended the ceremony, said: "Zakumi represents South Africa and the South African people. We believe it will be very popular in the FIFA Cup and the 20 10 World Cup."
The organizing committee of the World Cup in South Africa chose a cheetah as the mascot, mainly because cheetahs are widely distributed in Africa, and cheetahs are also the fastest animals on land. This cheetah, full of speed and strength, is in line with the characteristics of the World Cup. Therefore, the organizer chose a native animal that can represent Africa as the mascot.
In addition, Zakumi's green mane not only represents the green on the South African flag. "Zakumi's green mane also represents the stadium," said mascot designer Odendale.
Compared with the German World Cup mascot Glio, the South African World Cup mascot Zakumi has been well received by the media since it came out. The British BBC said that this little cheetah symbolizes the current vitality of South Africa, and its lovely image is also deeply loved by people. Glio, the little lion in the last World Cup in Germany, has been left out by the Germans. Because the eagle has always been a traditional symbol of Germany, but the lion can't represent Germany. At the same time, the failure of Glio also led to the bankruptcy of its manufacturer, German NICI Toy Company.
Zakumi has another story:
There is no doubt that Zakumi is proud to be the official mascot of the World Cup in South Africa, and he is determined to be the best host for his beloved motherland. He represents the image of South Africa and the whole African continent with self-confidence, nobility, enthusiasm, meticulous hospitality and sophisticated manners. ? Zakumi likes playing football because he thinks it is an important way to break the language barrier and communicate with others. So he always takes his football with him so that he can invite people around him to play at any time. ? Zakumi loves football. He decided to dye his hair green. The reason is that Zakumi thinks that green hair will be his perfect protective color when playing football on the court; And when he was hunting in the wilderness, it was like wearing a small wreath on his head.