The Hungarians have a sense of timing. They chose the symbolic date of D – 100 days before the start of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest (19 to 27 August), Thursday 11 May, to present the event’s mascot. It is a racka sheep, named Youhuu (photo above). This breed of sheep, which arrived in the country more than 1,000 years ago, now exists only in Hungary. With 100 days to go, organisers said they had recruited more than 10,000 volunteers and already sold 160,000 tickets for the eight-day event. The competitions are to be held at the brand new National Athletics Centre, an athletics stadium that was part of Budapest’s bid for the 2024 Summer Games. The road events – marathon and race walk – are planned around the Hungarian capital’s historic sites, which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
