UEFA EURO 2012 mascots unveiled in Warsaw

Today brought a significant milestone on the road to UEFA EURO 2012 as the mascots were unveiled before a star-studded audience at Warsaw's Polish Theatre – now we need your help to name them.

Polish Football Federation (PZPN) president Grzegorz Lato and Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) counterpart Grigoriy Surkis were among those present to witness the introduction of the twins who will take on the mantle of Trix and Flix, the duo who led a merry dance throughout UEFA EURO 2008.

"The two mascots represent the joint effort and commitment of both countries and their football associations to organise a successful EURO 2012," explained Surkis. "We share the same ideas and we are looking forward to the fun of the tournament. The only thing that separates the mascots is that each of them will support a different team."

Lato added: "I especially like their hair – 40 years ago I had hair like that. It is a special day for us and a big advert of the tournament."

One twin wears the red and white of Poland, the other the yellow and blue of Ukraine. They even have their hair dyed in their national colours although, with each having a ball at their feet, it is clear that their favourite sport unites them.

Andriy Shevchenko and Andrzej Szarmach – who attended today's event along with fellow UEFA EURO 2012 ambassadors Oleg Blokhin and Zbigniew Boniek – will present the mascots to the public on Wednesday. Shevchenko will be introduced to the crowd in Geneva ahead of Ukraine's friendly with Switzerland, tournament co-hosts two years ago; Szarmach will be at the Municipal Stadium Poznan when the venue stages its first international as Poland take on Ivory Coast.

Shevchenko certainly enjoyed getting a first glimpse of the duo, saying: "I have two sons and I hope they will like the mascots. I am sure children will like them. I have seen that the mascots can play good football too and that is a good sign for the tournament."

Boniek was also pleasantly surprised. "Usually you have to get used to them, you have to see them a lot of times before you start to like them, but I liked these mascots at first glance. They are young, fresh and open."

The 54-year-old former Juventus and AS Roma forward, capped 80 times by Poland, was also pleased to see the white-shirted mascot wearing his old No20 shirt. "This number was good for the national team, it brought me a lot of luck," he said. "Grzegorz Lato had this number too. As No20 I scored three famous goals against Belgium at the 1982 [FIFA] World Cup."

Today's launch was hosted by sports broadcaster Maciej Iwanski and featured a dance performance created by Polish choreographer Agustin Egurrola. There was also an animation showing the creation of the mascots by Warner Bros, suppliers of the last three tournament talismans.

Naming
UEFA.com is asking you to help choose which of the following sets of names you prefer.

• Slavek & Slavko
• Siemko & Strimko
• Klemek & Ladko

Select your favourite and cast your vote before the 3 December deadline.

Mascot road show
Fans in Poland and Ukraine can also cast their votes during a road show which starts in Poznan on 17 November. The twins will visit stadiums and tourist attractions in all eight finals venues before returning on 4 December to Warsaw, where their names will be revealed.

17-18 November – Poznan
20-21 November – Lviv
23-24 November – Donetsk
26 November – Wroclaw
26 November – Kharkiv
28-29 November – Kyiv
29 November – Gdansk
4 December – Warsaw