Olympic committee to run mascot design competition

Following the fiasco surrounding the design of the logo for the London 2012 Olympic Games, the organising committee is considering running a public competition to design the mascot for the event.

A London Olympic Games Organising Committee (LOCOG) spokeswoman says a “competition of some kind is an option”, but that a decision has not yet been made. She says it will look at plans for the mascot over the next year.

The 2012 logo, designed by Wolff Olins, sparked a public and media backlash when it was launched last year. Calls for the image to be axed included a motion in the House of Commons. The cost of the design, £400,000, also caused outrage.

It is understood that LOCOG are keen to avoid a similar outcry over the design of the mascot.

Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone criticised the failure to run health checks on an animated version of the design, which was found to trigger epileptic fits.