London 2012 Olympics: BOA unveil 'iconic' scarf in a bid to raise funds for Team GB The hieroglyphs include a border of 900 figures to represent the 900 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, 900 hearts, images to represent all of the Olympic and sports, and a host of London icons including taxis, double-decker buses and telephone boxes. The BOA hope that it will become the de facto Team GB flag waved in venues, and worn in many different ways, as a headscarf, a bandana, around the wrist or fed through belt-buckles. The scarves will be manufactured and retailed by Next, an Olympic sponsor, and feature the Adidas logo. Adidas has not been involved in the manufacture of the scarves but will help distribute them through its outlets. The initial run of 500,000 scarves will be produced at a Next factory in India, with subsequent orders made in either Portugal or Turkey. The BOA has spent more than two years working on the scarves, which are crucial to its future funding. Following a lengthy financial row with the London 2012 organising committee last year the BOA was granted the rights to two items of merchandise, from which it will keep net profits. The scarf, described as "an iconic momento of the London 2012 Games," is the first, and comes with a letter from five-time gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave who urges the owner to "wear it, wave it and help Team GB WIN with it! The second item, a "collectable" piece of merchandise produced in partnership with BP, will be launched at the end of May. The BOA said the scarf was crucial to its campaign of building national support for the disparate group of athletes across 26 sports who make up Team GB. "We would love it to be a massive success," said BOA chief executive Andy Hunt. Here is an item you can take to show you have gone out and supported the team. Imagine being in the velodrome the other night if all the people there had been waving a single item. "We have spent a lot of time and energy on this show, and it has been in gestations since before Vancouver, That was the crux for all of us realising how important this campaign can be," said BOA commercial director Hugh Chambers. You could not help but notice [the mittens], it was the buzz of the Games, you had to have a pair. We were slightly daunted about what we would do to follow the red mittens. Initially it will only be available online, and will not be in Next stores until May. It may not be available at all at official London 2012 merchandise stores in Olympic venues however, a legacy in part of the row with Locog, which controls those shops. The BOA will have to share profits from any sales in initial shops with Locog, which needs merchandise income to meet the £2.2bn running costs of the Games. The BOA also announced that it will be opening an museum close to the main stadium and aquatic centre in the Olympic Park after the Games. The £10m project will celebrate London's status as the only city to have hosted the Olympics three times, and could include memorabilia from every member of Team GB at this summer's event.