On 20 March 2012, during a press conference hosted by the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Local Organising Committee (LOC), the LOC’s chairman, Vitaly Mutko, and FIFA’s Director of Marketing, Thierry Weil, publicly unveiled the temporary emblem for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The focal point of the temporary emblem is a depiction of the tournament’s legendary trophy – the FIFA World Cup’s most recognisable symbol. Russia is the first FIFA World Cup host country to whom FIFA has given the chance to use a temporary emblem for its flagship tournament. Its key mission is to conjure up the atmosphere of the 2018 event while the tournament is still being planned, so that Russia’s football fans and indeed all its people can really feel the tournament drawing nearer. “The temporary emblem for the 2018 World Cup is the first step towards creating a visual image for the tournament in Russia,” said Weil. “It’s also a promotional tool for FIFA, the Russia 2018 LOC and the 2018 World Cup’s commercial partners. There is huge enthusiasm among Russian fans as they look forward to the start of a tournament which will be taking place on home soil. \"The latest polls already show that 61 per cent of Russians feel proud that their country is hosting the FIFA World Cup. The challenge now is to make use of the Russia 2018 temporary emblem and the enthusiasm of Russians to plan an unforgettable tournament,” added FIFA’s Director of Marketing. The temporary emblem is to be used to promote the FIFA World Cup across Russia. In due course it will be replaced by the Official Emblem of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, which will be used to reflect the unique flavour of the tournament in the country. FIFA and the Russia 2018 LOC will start work shortly on devising the Official Emblem, with the timetable for its launch set to be announced at a later date.