626 days before the start of the first African FIFA World Cup at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on 11 June 2010, the mascot for the event is revealed. It is Zakumi. The bright yellow Leopard, with black spots, curly green hair, green shorts and a white T-shirt was welcomed by Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan, FIFA Director of Marketing Thierry Weil, as well as other delegates and footballing celebrities.The name Zakumi is broken down into 'Za', standing for South Africa and 'kumi' which translates to the number “ten” in various languages throughout Africa. The original creator of the design is Andries Odendaal from Cape Town, and the mascot costume itself was produced by Cora Simpson of Cora's Costumes cc in Boksburg.
Watch 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Highlights
