With less than five months to go before the event, the organizers of next year’s all-discipline World Swimming Championships in Doha (February 2-18) have unveiled their mascots. There are two of them. And, unsurprisingly, they evoke the aquatic world. A Qatari whale shark christened Nahim and a piece of coral named Mayfara have been chosen by the organizing committee to symbolize the world event, the first of its kind to be held in the Persian Gulf. The Doha Worlds will also be held in the middle of winter for the first time, less than six months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The competitions will be held at three separate venues, all located in Doha: the Aspire Dome, the Old Port and the Hamad Aquatic Centre. The Qatari capital has already hosted the World Championships in the 25 m pool in 2014, nine editions of the Swimming Race World Cup, four events in the Open Water Swimming World Series, and an event in the Diving World Series in 2009.
