Mascot for Euros is from Argyll

A NEW era in world sport begins next summer when Glasgow and Berlin host the inaugural European Championships – an exciting new multi-sport event.

And the face of this brilliant sporting extravaganza comes from Argyll in the shape of Bonnie the seal.

Glasgow 2018 brings together some of the continent’s leading sports including the existing European Championships for athletics, aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon with a new golf team competition.

To be staged every four years starting in August 2018, the European Championships will be a new highlight on the global sporting calendar, elevating the status of European champions during an 11- day celebration of world- class sport and a packed 10- day broadcast schedule.

Fronting the publicity campaign is Bonnie, a young female harbour seal. She is gregarious, has bags of energy, confidence and is very agile. She is adventurous which, coupled with her natural curiosity, allows her to give just about anything a go.

Launched this week, the character said: ‘Hey, my name is Bonnie and I love meeting new people and trying new things.

‘I’m really adventurous and I discovered a lot about some amazing sports when I swam all the way from Argyll, up the Clyde to the exciting city of Glasgow. I hope lots of new friends will join me in Glasgow and be part of the moment. I’ll see you all soon!’

Glasgow and Scotland will host aquatics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and the triathlon, while Berlin will be the venue for athletics.

The championships will take Scotland’s sporting reputation to a new level. With a potential television audience of up to 1.03 billion set to watch the action, Glasgow will again be in the spotlight with the event being covered by free-to-air broadcasters, including the BBC.

This new celebration of European sport will be staged from August 2-12, 2018, and will see approximately 4,500 athletes compete.