The 2014 Winter Olympics are seven years away, but organisers are already coming under pressure to choose a mascot for the games. There are many contenders, but the hot favourite is a Black Sea dolphin.
In Sochi, dolphins are everywhere. Local workshops are selling Olympic-themed glass figurines by the dozen. Olympic gymnastic champion Aleksandr Dityagin has an interesting view on what a dolphin mascot might look like. “It would be nice to dress the dolphin in a Russian hat with fur-earflaps, mittens and high felt boots,” he said. And dolphins at the Sochi Aquarium already have an Olympic programme. They've been taught to jump through a model of the Olympics' five crossed rings. Meanwhile, some heavy weight guest stars from Israel are also in Sochi, as honorary guests of the Olympiad. Four eight-month-old female hippos will take their place in the Aquarium, right next to the dolphins.