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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup – China today marked a significant milestone with the tournament’s logo launch, which was staged and held in conjunction with the opening ceremony of the competition’s first completed stadium – the Shanghai Pudong Football Stadium.
The dazzling and immersive display showcased the vibrant new logo unveiled through projection mapping and Augmented Reality for the first time in the tournament’s history.
The new logo was launched by Vice Minister of the General Administration of Sports of China and Executive Chairman of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 LOC, Du Zhaocai, who is also a FIFA Council member, together with the main leaders from the 10 host cities, who also revealed the Host City logos in the first on-ground milestone event of the tournament, which will be held from June 16 to July 16, 2023.
In a special video message presented during the event, the AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “Over the years, each host nation has left a significant mark on Asian football, and we know that China will stage our greatest ever tournament in 2023.
“The AFC is pleased to mark our latest milestones and, on behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate the Local Organising Committee and the Venue Organising Committees of the 10 host cities for their commitment and efforts.
“The LOC continues to make great progress with the preparations to stage a memorable event, and I wish the Chinese Football Association, the LOC, the VOCs and all our stakeholders the very best of success in staging a truly world-class event.”
In his opening address, Du Zhaocai, said: “The inauguration of the competition official logo and Shanghai Pudong Football Stadium of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023™ marks a new stage in the preparations for the tournament.
“Since the establishment of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023™ Local Organising Committee in 2020, all the preparatory work has been carried out smoothly and orderly. The Local Organising Committee is confident that the AFC Asian Cup China 2023™ will be an excellent, prominent and outstanding football event.”
The new logo, which was projected on select iconic buildings across Shanghai’s stunning skyline is inspired by the recently developed AFC Asian Cup and AFC National Team master brands.
The process of localising the design and concept, in line with the master brands, was further influenced by the LOC’s proposal to embody ‘Light’ as a symbol and beacon of hope to overcome adversity, particularly pertinent during these challenging times and aptly emphasising the unifying force of Asia’s flagship men’s tournament in rallying together passionate fans and teams from the world’s most diverse Continent.
The 10 dynamic beams in the logo, which emanate from the bottom to form the image of the sun rising from the East, symbolise the 10 host cities of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023™ – underlining the ever-growing scale and future legacy of the tournament, which will be held in 10 cities in one nation for the first time in Asian football history.
The use of the most typical colours in Chinese traditional culture showcases the beauty of oriental art. The beams also symbolise the role of football to illuminate life and unite people across the Continent to share a wonderful, extraordinary and captivating AFC Asian Cup experience.
Meanwhile, the 10 beams are held together by 24 intricate lines, representing the spirit of fair play and mutual respect among the 24 participating teams.
The red and gold lights from the original swirl further illuminate the dynamic characteristics of diversity, togetherness, and inspiration, with the luminous aura of the light beams reinforcing a sense of warmth and hope to football audiences all across the world.
Additional local elements of the host Member Association include the traditional Chinese philosophy of ‘yin-yang’ and togetherness, which is illustrated through the symmetry of the logo, and the lighter gradient of the AFC Asian Cup trophy – the logo’s centrepiece – is inspired by Jade, the primary hardstone of Chinese sculpture, symbolising warmth, poise and harmony.
The LOC also unveiled its social responsibility programme, while the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Pudong Football Stadium reiterated the remarkable progress of the LOC and highlighted the AFC’s ambitions to stage the best-ever AFC Asian Cup to date.
Covering an area of 139,304m², the Shanghai Pudong Football Stadium comprises a unique and ground-breaking seating bowl design that maximises the viewing experience from all 37,000 seats, which will enable an intimate atmosphere for the Continent’s passionate spectators during the tournament.
Significant progress also continues to be made across all other nine stadiums – the Beijing Workers’ Stadium, Tianjin Binhai Football Stadium, Chongqing Longxing Football Stadium, Chengdu Phoenix Hill Stadium, Xi’an International Football Center, Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium, Qingdao Youth Football Stadium, Xiamen Egret Stadium, and Suzhou Kunshan Football Stadium.
