Russian flag on Mount Kosciuszko

The russian city Sochi at black sea coast is one of the candidates for the Winter Olympics in the year 2014. Russian climber Alexey Kuzminykh and his team of alpinists reached Australia's highest mountain peak, Mt. Kosciuszko at 2228 m, where the Sochi 2014 flag now flies. The Australian expedition follows the South-America leg of the team's trek to the world's highest peaks, where the flag of Sochi, candidate city to host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, was raised atop Aconcagua Mountain. Although at times dealing with tough conditions, Alexey Kuzminykh were true to schedule, reaching the peak on time and advancing to their next stop on the expedition to the world's tallest mountain peaks across five continents.

The group of climbers, among Sochi's growing list of sport ambassadors, began their quest to place the Sochi 2014 flag on the summits of the world's highest mountains, in January 2007. The expedition is scheduled to be completed by July 4, when the 119th IOC session kicks-off in Guatemala to select the host city for the 2014 Winter Games. The next stops along the global trek include Europe's Mt. Elbrus (5462 m), Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro (5895 m), and Mt. Everest (8848 m), in Asia.