The logo, which cost £400,000 to develop and is intended to "inspire everyone to achieve personal goals", has attracted a string of criticisms and calls for it to be scrapped.

Speaking at the launch, 2012 organising committee chairman Seb Coe said: "This is the vision at the very heart of our brand.

 

"It will define the venues we build and the Games we hold and act as a reminder of our promise to use the Olympic spirit to inspire everyone and reach out to young people around the world.

"It is an invitation to take part and be involved.

"We will host a Games where everyone is invited to join in because they are inspired by the Games to either take part in the many sports, cultural, educational and community events leading up to 2012 or they will be inspired to achieve personal goals."

But Britons disagreed, with thousands calling for the logo to be binned.

One online petition had attracted more than ten thousand signatures just eight hours after its launch.

The petition reads: "We, the undersigned, call on the London Olympic committee to scrap and change the ridiculous logo unveiled for the London 2012 Olympics."

Signatures from all over the UK - and also France and the USA - had voiced their disapproval of the design.

One wrote: "It's atrocious - hard to read, to understand, and it has no significance to London or England whatsoever."

Another said: "This makes us look like a bunch of stupid untidy idiots."

And another posted: "A total disgrace. I can't believe many people were paid a lot of money to 'create' this.

 

"We are a laughing stock."

Meanwhile, a BBC forum attracted thousands of complaints.

One person wrote: "That is a shockingly bad logo. It doesn't depict anything, and isn't even an appealing abstract visual.

"I work in the advertising field, and have seen some pretty bad concepts in my time, but this one takes the biscuit.

"Postmodern? Maybe. Unique? Certainly. Rubbish? Most definitely!"

And another posted: "That is a terrible logo, whoever designed that should be shot. We've already ruined the London Olympics."