A Nepalese man who climbed Mount Everest at the age of 76 and became the oldest person to conquer the world's highest peak celebrated the official recognition of his achievement by Guinness World Records.

Prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal was among several dignitaries at a function in Katmandu to congratulate Min Bahadur Sherchan, now 78, after he received an official certificate from Guinness.

Sherchan scaled the 29,035-foot (8,850-metre) peak in May 2008 at the age of 76 years and 340 days, but the Guinness Book of World Records continued to list Japanese climber Katsusuke Yanagisawa - who scaled the peak at age 71 - as the oldest person until he made an official appeal earlier this year.