Canada launches logo for 2015 Women's World Cup

 VANCOUVER, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Canada unveiled its logo for the country's hosting of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup on Friday as gala ceremonies took place simultaneously¹ in the six host cities staging games.

Set against the country's iconic maple² leaf, the core concept of the logo symbolizes³ such Canadian themes as mountains, water, wheat and a vast coast-to-coast landscape that will host the 52-game tournament over five time zones.

With games in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton during a three-week period in June and July, Victor Montagliani, the Canadian Soccer Association president, said the country was ready to host the world's biggest single sport event for women after past successes.

He referred to the country's hosting of the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup that drew 1.19 million fans over 52 matches, and the inaugural⁴ FIFA U19 Women's World Championship when the U.S. beat Canada 1-0 in the final before 47,784 spectators in Edmonton.

"Well I think we're really ready. We've already proven that with previous events," said Montagliani, who took over as CSA head in May. "And this country really galvanizes to these international events and I really expect that all our games will be sold out because Canadians really support not only the game of football, but support this team."Unlike Canada's struggling men's program that made its lone⁵ World Cup appearance in 1986 when the team failed to score a goal in three games, the Canadian women have been in five of the six Women's World Cups to date, with a fourth place in 2003 its best finish.

With 850,000 registered soccer players in Canada (350,000 of them girls) and the number forecast to top one million within two to three years, according to the CSA, a major part in the popularity of the sport has been because of Christine Sinclair.

The 29-year-old Vancouver-area native is the greatest player the country has ever produced, male or female, and is currently third on the all-time international scoring list with 143 goals, behind American greats Abby Wambach (148) and Mia Hamm (158). Earlier this week Sinclair was named Canada's athlete of the year for leading the country to a bronze medal in the London Olympic Games.

With the soft-spoken striker turning 32 during the 2015 World Cup she felt that her game could only get better in the run-up to the tournament.

"Absolutely, I mean soccer is one of those sports that if you take care of yourself you actually get better with age. You can become a smarter player and I think that's what actually (happened) in London, not necessarily that I was anymore fit or physically⁶ better, I'm a smarter player now than I was when I was 19, 20 and three more years is only going to help."Sinclair welcomed the expanded format⁷ for the next World Cup as 24 countries and regions will play in the tournament, up from the 16 teams that played in Germany last year when Japan upset the U.S.A. in the final.

The expanded format will likely allow a rebuilding China national team, currently ranked 17th in the world, to return to the tournament after failing to qualify for Germany.

"It's going to be interesting to see what countries get in, but it's only going to help expand the game, the women's game, throughout the world," Sinclair said. "These up-and-coming countries the only way they're going to learn how to play on the world stage is to take part in these types of tournaments and play against the best teams in the world."After crashing out of last year's Women's World Cup when Sinclair scored Canada's only goal playing with a broken nose, no less, against hosts Germany, national team coach John Herdman said he expected a different Canada squad⁸ to come out in 2015 before its home crowd.

"Before I took the team on, the team hadn't gone past the quarterfinals before. There was a bit of a 'Canada can't' mindset," said the Englishman, who previously⁹ guided New Zealand to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and two Women's World Cup appearances.

"The mindset now is 'Canada can,' you know, we can do it. And there will be a group of these players that will continue on and be there in 2015 that can do it. So that's crucial. Mindset is everything and we certainly are in a good space in that area."FIFA will announce which Canadian city will host the final game of the 2015 Women's World Cup next spring.

1 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

2 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

3 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

5 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

7 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

8 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。