'Olympigs' offer swine chance to shine
Saturday, April 15, 2006; Posted: 6:54 p.m. EDT (22:54 GMT)
MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- Hundreds of Russians gathered for the first day of the annual "pig Olympics" on Saturday, cheering a field of 12 piglets who competed in three events: pig-racing, pig-swimming and pig-ball.
Each pig was carried into the arena, squealing angrily and dressed in its own numbered bib, while Muscovites laid bets on challengers such as Mykola from Ukraine, Nelson -- representing South Africa -- and the home favorite, Kostik Russisch Schwein.
In pig-ball, contestants chase a sweet-tasting soccer ball around an enclosed arena with their snouts, scoring when the ball goes into a goal.
The pig-admirers included ultra-nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who put 100 rubles ($3.60) on Borka to win the running race, in honor of one of his political rivals.
"I've always loved pigs, all my life. I had four or five when I was a kid," he told Reuters.
Alexei Sharshkov, vice-president of the Sport-Pig Federation, which claims 100 members, said the competitors had a happy future ahead of them, win or lose.
"They go on to produce a new generation of sport pigs. They don't get eaten," he promised. "How could you eat a competitor who is known around the world?"
That may be the strongest Hog compitition
