As part of its patriotic supporter themed ‘Our Greatest Team’ campaign, the British Olympic Association has launched the official London 2012 Team GB scarf.
The wider campaign’s aim is to engage the nation, build momentum towards the Olympics and inspire British athletes to success. The objective of this element is that the scarf will be worn and waved in support of Britain’s performers during the Games.
Which will please Team GB sponsors adidas (a London 2012 official partner) and Next (a London 2012 official supplier) whose logos adorn the corners of the scarf.
The BOA and Paralympics GB logos are in the other corners.
As well as sponsor branding, the patriotic red, white and blue blend the Union Jack with:
- 900 figures (representing Team GB’s 900 Olympic/Paralympic athletes
- 900 hearts (representing the nation’s love and support for each of them
- 900 stars (recognising that each one is a true star)
- 60 hands (representing the 60 million Britons backing the team)
It also features the four home nations national flowers (rose, daffodils, flax and thistle), a set of national landmarks 9from black cabs to double deckers and red phone boxes) to represent the fact that the athletes are drawn from every corner of the land and image representations of all 26 Olympic sports
The cotton scarves come in two sizes – with the 50cm version costing £5 and the 90cm one costing £10 and the BOPA hopes to sell one million plus.
All the money raised will go towards supporting the athletes themselves.
The scarves are on sales by Next (which is also manufacturing them) initially online and later in-store. Adidas will also help distribute them through its outlets. The scarves will also be sold in other official London 2012 stores or even on the way into the Olympic Park during the Games.
BOA chief executive Andy Hunt said: ‘We would love it to be a massive success. Here is an item you can take to show you have gone out and supported the team. Imagine being in the velodrome the other night if all the people there had a single item like this to wave.’
Comment:
The BOA will hope its scarf will match the success of the Canadian Olympic Association’s ‘red mittens’ during the 2010 Winter Olympics. An impressive 4.3 million mittens that were sold and they became a genuinely iconic symbol of the event. They also raised a staggering £10m
‘You could not help but notice [the mittens], it was the buzz of the Games – you had to have a pair,’ said BOA commercial director Hugh Chambers. ‘We were slightly daunted about what we would do to follow the red mittens.”
The scarf’s existence comes after last year’s financial row between the BOA and LOCOG and is the result of LOCOG granting the BOA the rights to two London 2012 related items of merchandise.
The scarf, which is the first of these, comes with a letter from five-time gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave who urges the owner to ‘wear it, wave it and help Team GB WIN with it!’ Redgrave was also present at the launch event.
The second item is a ‘collectable’ piece of merchandise produced in partnership with BP and will be launched at the end of May.
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