London 2012 will be Pride's second Olympic Games after he made his debut at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, where he roared Team GB on to fourth place in the medal table as they won 47 medals, of which 19 were gold.

Since Beijing, Pride has undergone a design transformation and has a brand new look for the home Games in London next summer but he is as excitable and playful as ever, and with a home Olympics to look forward to he's especially patriotic, confident and inspired.

"I'm really excited to be supporting our incredible Olympic athletes," said Pride.

"In London 2012 Team GB will field our greatest team.

"It's going to be our best team ever and the great thing is that we can all be a part of it.

"I'm looking forward to making lots of new friends in 2012, and renewing rivalries with my fellow Olympic mascots from other nations around the world in a spirit of fair play, friendship and respect - especially the boxing kangaroo from Australia.

"With the support of you and me - who knows what our team can achieve.

"So come on, join me in supporting Team GB - our greatest team and roar with Pride."

Pride - who dislikes cheats and admits to being a little afraid of mice - will be taking part in all sorts of activities in the run up to the Games while supporting British athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond.

His favourite quote is "better never stops" and he is inspired by the passion of the British public for Team GB.

Pride was given his name in July 2008 by nine-year-old Lilly Sykes from Lincolnshire, who won a competition to name the official Team GB mascot on children's TV channel Nickelodeon, which received over 3,500 entries.

Explaining her idea for the name Pride, she said: "A family of lions is called a pride and it reflects how proud we should be of our country and all our Team GB athletes as they compete with determination and courage at the Olympic Games."

Andy Hunt, the Team GB Chef de Mission for the London 2012 Olympics and British Olympic Association (BOA), added: "We are delighted to welcome Pride to Team GB as our official mascot for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

"I'm sure he will be a big hit with Team GB fans, using social media channels to connect with young people by bringing a sense of fun and adventure to the 26 Olympic sports.

"As well as his athletic aesthetics, Pride's personality will reflect the lion-hearted attitude of Team GB's athletes next summer: brave, bold, courageous, resolute, determined and passionate in their quest to bring Olympic success to inspire the whole of the UK.

"We'll do it with Pride."

Pride souvenirs are now available as part of a range of Team GB products launched by London 2012 last week, the revenues of which go towards funding the staging of the London 2012 Games.

Click here to view the Pride products and London 2012 shop.

Pride is also planning to join social networks such as Twitter and Facebook in the near future to support Team GB at London 2012 and keep everyone updated with his adventures.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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