MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin told TASS he continued intense workouts, such as hockey games, during which he could lose up to two kilograms.
In a conversation with TASS journalist Andrei Vandenko for the project dubbed "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin," the Russian leader said he "played hockey for two days in a row" before the interview.
"I lose up to two kilos a game," he said. "It’s a very energy-intensive sport."
When asked who his partners were, the president replied that most often they were staffers of the Federal Guard Service, "well-built guys, all are martial arts masters." Some of them played hockey before, others learned it later, he added.
Putin learned to play hockey at the age of 60. At Putin’s initiative, the Night Ice Hockey League - the country’s tournament of amateur hockey leagues - was established in 2011. The president regularly takes part in those games.
Besides, staffers of the Federal Guard Service also keep the president company during mountain skiing.
"They also kept me company learning the basics of Alpine skiing," he said.
"They did not go with me only on one occasion," he said, adding that it happened in Sochi, at the altitude of about 2,000 meters. "I went there by helicopter. The chopper descended and flew low, so we first dropped the skis and then jumped out of there."
The conditions for freeride alpine skiing were far from being favorable that day, as a solid crust formed on the surface of the snow layer, the president recalled.
"There was no… the term escapes me… Pulverschnee in German <…> powder snow. It's really good for skiing! But given that shell of ice my legs sank in ankle-deep. It was really difficult," he said.
When asked whether he still continued skiing on expert slopes, Putin replied: "I used to, but not anymore."
Putin is known for his love of sports, first of all judo wrestling and alpine skiing. Lately, the president has also been regularly practicing ice hockey.
The project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin" and devoted to the 20th anniversary of Putin’s work at the helm of the Russian state, was launched on February 20, 2020. The TASS news agency has already released 17 episodes of the interview, but decided to suspend the project due to drastic changes in the global information space. Today’s episode of the interview will be the final one.
The final episode of the video interview is available at https://putin.tass.ru/en.