By BBC SPORTMore by this AuthorDOHAAn "aspirational" falcon called Falah, who is also "competitive and courageous", was officially unveiled as the World Athletics Championships' mascot on Tuesday, which will take place in Qatar this year. "The falcon, to us in Qatar and to all the Arab countries, it means a lot," said Dahlan al-Hamad, president of the Qatar Athletics Federation and vice-president of the IAAF. "The falcon represents the speed, represents the vision, represents the hunting of the target to be in the front." Falah was revealed by championship organisers during Qatar National Sports Day, an annual public holiday in the Gulf state used to encourage people to take up an activity. Sheikha Asma bint Thani al-Thani of the Qatar Olympic Committee said the unveiling of the mascot and approach of the championships was "very, very exciting".

Source: Daily Nation February 12, 2019 15:33 UTC