The fourth incarnation of an iconic ball, the adidas Tango 12 has been unveiled as the official ball of the 2012 UEFA European Championship having been used at three past finals.
Based on an iconic design, the adidas Tango 12, the official ball for UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, was launched during Friday's draw for the final tournament in Kyiv.
Ukrainian Olympic legend Serhiy Bubka gave the ball its first public showing at the Palace of Arts, the familiar design evoking memories of tournaments of yesteryear – the Tango River Plate (1980), Tango Mundial (1984) and Tango Europa (1988) having been used at previous UEFA European Championships.
The adidas Tango 12 – the 11th official adidas EURO ball – features a modern interpretation of the classic design, including a coloured outline inspired by the flags of the two host nations. Developed over a two-year period, the ball was tested by players from the grassroots to the elite across eight countries.
Speaking in Kyiv today, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said: "There are a lot of very important things that help to develop football players and of course the quality of the ball is one of them."
Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Ángel María Villar Llona added: "It's a great ball. It's got a special name, Tango. It's the dance of a couple and has a great connection to football."
All competing associations will receive an allocation of 30 adidas Tango 12 balls from next week for training and match use. The ball will be deployed for the first time in a competitive international when co-hosts Poland get the tournament under way in Warsaw on Friday 8 June.
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