Mascots in their own show

If you are still not familiar with the football trio Ato, Nik and Kaz - official mascots of the 2002 World Cup - here's how you get to know more about them.

They are the stars of a computer-generated cartoon, Spheriks, now showing on the Cable TV Kids Channel at 5pm every Monday to Friday.

The 26-episode series started last week. It depicts the cheerful, optimistic Atmospheriks team fighting against their cunning, trouble-making opponents, the Nulmospheriks, for the right to provide the atmosphere at the World Cup.

The real World Cup begins on Friday and will be played out in Korea and Japan.

The international football authority FIFA hopes the animation will encourage youngsters to understand more about 'fair play'.

In addition to the three soccer stars, their female teammate Rhea (the best player in the Atmos team) and the team's mascot Quixie are featured in the cartoon.