In choosing the most fitting mascot design for 2014 Winter Olympics Logo in the southern city of Sochi in Russia, the residents have voted for a dolphin to represent this celebrated event where the triumph of human spirit is at its finest.

According to a news article, more than 130 entries including birds and insects were submitted as candidate for the right mascot. Then, the candidates were trimmed down to a dolphin, a polar bear, a skiing snowflake, and believe it or not, Father Christmas. After the voting at all ballot stations in Sochi were finished, majority of 270,000 Sochi dwellers favored the dolphin. Sochi’s mayor said the dolphin he has chosen this mascot because it combines the highlands and the sea.

Unfortunately, the result of this poll is not binding to the organizers of the 2014 Olympics and Russia’s Olympic Committee. The whole world has to wait until 2011 for the official announcement. Whether the dolphin will get the green light or not is quite difficult to assess since more relevant and entertaining mascot designs might come out in the near future.

By the way, Sochi was chosen by International Olympic Committee in July 2007 over Salzburg in Austria and Pyeongchang in South Korea.