MOSCOW: FIFA President Sepp Blatter revealed the logo for the 2018 World Cup in Russia on Tuesday — with the help of a crew of cosmonauts.
The logo depicts the World Cup trophy in red and blue, colours from the Russian flag, with gold trim. Unveiling the logo on a Russian state TV talk show, Blatter said the logo would show Russia’s “heart and spirit.”
The TV show was also attended by FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, Russia’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko and Italy’s former football great Fabio Cannavaro.
“Today is the World Cup’s kick-off as we introduce the event’s official logo,” Blatter said at the ceremony. “I’m confident that the World Cup here will be a success. Of course I already saw the logo and I liked it very much. This is the symbol of the country, its heart and soul.”
It was then presented over video link by a crew of three Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station. “Seeing the football World Cup in our country was a dream for all of us,” cosmonaut Elena Serova said.
Simultaneously with the logo’s appearance on TV, it was beamed onto the facade of Russia’s historic Bolshoi Theatre as part of a light show projection.
