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LIVE VIDEO: adidas launch of World Cup finals ball - Jabulani

Today in Herzogenaurach, adidas proudly presents the Official Match Ball for the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa - see the live video broadcast below from 1pm London time. The adidas "JO'BULANI" is a unique gold-coloured version of the "JABULANI", the Official Match Ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and its name is a tribute to Johannesburg or Jo'burg, the City of Gold. While the ball still features the iconic South African inspired design, the main colour of the "JO'BULANI" is gold. This is the second time that adidas has designed a special ball for a FIFA World Cup™ final, the first final ball was the golden "TEAMGEIST BERLIN", which was used on July 9th, 2006. The "JO'BULANI" will be available in retail from April 20th onwards. The "JO'BULANI" also features the newly developed "Grip'n'Groove" profile which provides the best players in the world with a ball allowing an exceptionally stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions. Comprising only eight, completely new, thermally bonded 3-D panels, which for the first time are spherically moulded, the ball is perfectly round and even more accurate than ever before. The name "JO'BULANI" is inspired by the name "JABULANI", which means "to celebrate" in isiZulu, one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa, which is spoken by almost 25% of the population. The name "JO'BULANI" is also a tribute to the host city of the final, Johannesburg, or Jo'burg as people may call it. The "JO'BULANI" is designed in white and gold, as a tribute to both the colour of the FIFA World Cup™ trophy and the "City of Gold", the nickname of Johannesburg. adidas always involves world-class athletes in the development and testing of its products. For the adidas "JABULANI", adidas partners AC Milan, FC Bayern München, the Orlando Pirates and Ajax Cape Town tested the ball in 2008, contributing to improvements in the surface structure and material composition. The involvement of our players will continue to help bring the best football products to market going forward. In the future, adidas will continue to use innovative technology to extend its world-leading position in football production and thus strengthen its position as the authentic symbol of high-performance sporting goods for professionals and amateurs alike. adidas also intends to unveil more revolutionary innovations in match ball production for future UEFA, FIFA and CAF competitions. The adidas innovation team (ait.) is already working on innovations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

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