SIALKOT: The official match ball of the London Olympic Games 2012 is ‘Made in Pakistan’.

The ball, “Albert”, is made by Adidas and is available for public purchase on the official London 2012 Olympics online store. Clicking the the ‘Details’ tab on the page unveils the ‘country of manufacture’ which is listed as Pakistan.

Tom Cleverley, the Manchester United player who unveiled the ball at City of Coventry Stadium speaks about Albert,

”The Albert certainly has a unique name and striking identity. It is like no other ball I’ve seen before and it is going to really stand out on the pitch. The ball looks youthful and that is what London 2012 is meant to be about.”

The Adidas Albert sports a sequence of triangular panels, thermally bonded together for a highly reliable trajectory in flight. A woven carcass and a novel bladder beneath the outer surface of the ball, give Albert increased air retention and minimal water uptake. To enhance the ball control, each panel is covered with a grip texture, supporting boot to ball contact. The extra striking colours on the ball are in line with the London 2012 Olympics colour palette.

Source: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/12756/olympic-footballs-proudly-made-in-sialkot/

Image Credit: FootballFashion.org