A kangaroo wearing a blue uniform has been unveiled as the mascot for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup ©FIBA

A kangaroo called Karlu has been unveiled as the mascot for the Women’s Basketball World Cup, which is due to start in exactly one year’s time.

The kangaroo wearing a blue uniform with the number 22 will be the face of the tournament scheduled to take place in Sydney from September 22 until October 1 next year.

Karlu stands for idealism, intuition, generosity, creativity, wisdom and tolerance - all attributes players need to bring to the basketball court, according to the International Basketball Association (FIBA).

Karlu is a teenage kangaroo that hails from Alice Springs, the third-largest town in the Northern Territory.

The Red Centre is also the birthplace of the event’s logo, which was inspired by 14-year-old Aboriginal basketballer Armarlie "Marlii" Biscoe.

The mascot was conceived and designed by Spike Creative, with the design experience leaving its mark within the agency.


"It has been an absolute honour bringing Karlu to life over the past couple of months and we can’t wait to see her representing on the global stage as the official Mascot of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022," said Mick Russell, creative director at Spike Creative.

"We truly immersed ourselves in Karlu’s persona during her character development and simply smile with pride and happiness every time she appears on our screens.

"Her personality exudes fun and warmth and I am confident she will bring plenty of vibrant energy and enthusiasm to the tournament - and will make us Aussies proud!"

Hosts Australia and the United States, as the reigning Olympic champions, have spots in the 12-team field, while the other 10 participants will come from four global qualifying tournaments due to place next February.

Those tournaments will have a total of 16 countries.

The events will be comprised of the top six teams from this summer's FIBA Women's EuroBasket - Serbia, France, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia – and the top four teams from the FIBA Women's AmeriCup, including AmeriCup and Olympic champions the US, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Canada.

The top four teams from the upcoming FIBA Women's Asia Cup, including World Cup hosts Australia, and the top two teams from the FIBA Women's AfroBasket that is currently taking place until Yaounde in Cameroon and is due to conclude on Sunday (September 26) will also earn spots in the qualifying tournaments.