By Amr Shaheen BBC Sport, Cairo

The logo is built around a mythical Egyptian god

Egypt has unveiled the eye of the ancient god Horus as its logo for the 2010 World Cup bid.

The eye is believed to symbolise wisdom, prosperity and unity, the values Egyptians hope the world will recognise and experience, should the country get the nod to host football's most prestigious event.

Speaking at a press conference, Egypt's youth minister Ali Eddin Helal said construction work for two new grounds - the Mubarak stadium in Giza and the Borg Al-Arab stadium in Alexandria, each with a capacity for 60,000 spectators, will start soon.

"We are very serious and are working hard to bring this event to Egypt," Helal said.

The minister also revealed that the writer Naguib Mahfouz, a Nobel Prize winner and internationally renowned actor Omar Shareif will be ambassadors for Egypt's bid.

Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia are the other countries in the race to host the 2010 finals.