Snow leopard may be Sochi 2014 Olympic mascot

Sochi (Russia), Sep 18 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The snow leopard leads the competition for the mascot for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, organisers said Saturday.

A nationwide competition to find a mascot for the 2014 Olympics kicked off Sep 1 in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The mascot “should encompass a range of features characteristic of Russia, and at the same time be intelligible to people of every age, profession and nationality”, organisers said earlier.

A special commission will choose the best ideas for the mascot, which then will be improved and developed by professional painters.

Organisers have already received over 3,000 pictures from different regions of Russia.

An online poll, to be held Feb 7, 2011, will determine the Olympic mascot.

–IANS/RIA Novosti