BARCELONA, Spain (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Ole and Hop on Friday were unveiled as the official mascots of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, presented by Beko.

The mascots are entirely inspired from the logo for Spain 2014, representing the two hands and bringing to life the brand identity associated with the championship. It is a very unique approach and constitutes the first time that mascots fully reflect the logo of a sporting event as characters.

Ole and Hop are the full embodiment of the logo and symbol of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup - the hands. This fits perfectly with the slogan of the championship - 'In Your Hands' (En Tus Manos).

As the Presenting Partner of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Beko have embraced with immense enthusiasm the mascots programme and will play a big role in the promotion of Ole and Hop and of the tournament across the globe.

"After years of successful basketball sponsorships and partnerships, Beko is now proud to present the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. This year, Beko will also be presenting the official mascots, which I believe are a perfect match with the young and dynamic character of our brand. Therefore I would like to thank FIBA for this unique opportunity. We are very much looking forward to this September which promises to be a very exciting month for all basketball lovers around," said Levent Çakıroğlu, President of Koç Holding Durable Goods Group and the CEO of Arçelik Group, the company which owns the Beko brand.

The mascots are united by their passion for basketball. They are agile, elastic and highly-mobile. They spend most of their time in the air, with their feet hardly ever touching the ground.

Ole and Hop get their names from the basketball play known as the 'alley-oop', the perfect team work manoeuvre that also highlights the basketball dance.

While they have in common their love of the game, the two mascots have very different personalities. You can find out more about them by going here.

BEKO will showcase Ole and Hop around Spain as part of a 'Mascots Host Cities Tour'.

About the FIBA Basketball World Cup

The first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place from Saturday 30 August to Sunday 14 September 2014. The Preliminary Round will be played in Bilbao, Gran Canaria, Granada and Seville (30 August-4 September) and The Final Round in the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona and the Palacio de los Deportes of Madrid (6-14 September).

The FIBA Basketball World Cup, known from 1950 until 2010 as the FIBA World Championship, is the flagship event of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). The winners of the FIBA Basketball World Cup get to celebrate their crowning moment by holding aloft the Naismith Trophy, named after the inventor of basketball, Dr James Naismith. Go to fiba.com/spain2014 to find out more.

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About Beko

Beko is the international household appliances brand of the Arçelik Group. Beko offers various models and products covering all fields of home appliances including white goods, consumer electronics, air conditioners and small appliances. Beko is currently sold in over 100 countries.

Beko’s brand philosophy addresses all the needs of the new generation by offering smart technologies. Beko stands to be a consumer focused brand delivering technology and stylish functional design, which provides savings for the world and at home. Beko is the rising everyday choice for the smart generation.

The strength of the Beko brand can be seen in the continuous growth of its market share across Europe. In the last five years in the overall European market, Beko has been the brand with the highest unit market share increase. Beko is also the top selling refrigerator brand in Western Europe and it is ranked second in the freezer and third in the washing machine, dishwasher and cooker segments. In 2013, Beko became the second white goods brand in Western Europe. Beko has also leadership positions in very competitive markets such as the UK and Poland.

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To the attention of media outlets

You can find photos of Ole and Hop, the official mascots of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup  by going to http://photos.fiba.com. Use the log-in details Username: public and Password: gallery and go into the folder 'Public Media Gallery'. When you use the photos, please credit them as 'Photo: FIBA'.