Kanyenda plays for the Russian side Rostov

Malawi striker Essau Kanyenda has been named an Olympic ambassador for the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi in its bid to host the 2014 Winter Games.

Sochi's Olympic officials, who are attending a sports seminar in the Malawian capital Blantyre this week, said on their Web site that they had chosen the 24-year-old FC Rostov striker for his worldwide appeal, especially in Africa.

The striker briefly played for Lokomotiv Moscow in 2005 before returning to Rostov in the off season.

He joins several of Russia's former and current Olympic champions, such as swimmer Alexander Popov, tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov, pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and figure skater Yevgeny Plushenko as Sochi's ambassadors.

Sochi is competing with South Korea's Pyeonchang and Austrian city Salzburg.