'The Ball'

'The Ball' is a FIFA project that is used to raise awareness about the Special Olympics through football and it is part of the World Cup activities. On its 2010 journey, 'The Ball' has passed through over 100 countries and over 16,000 people have signed it. Teams of intellectually-challenged children will also be a part of the World Cup activities.

The worldwide journey of the ball started 146 years ago in Battersea Park in London, United Kingdom (UK), where the game first started in 1864. Every four years, the ball travels to the World Cup host country.

This year it is estimated to have covered 15,000-miles to South Africa through West and East Africa passing through Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d' Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia Namibia and Botswana before reaching South Africa.

Photo courtesy South African Tourism