Report: Putin to marry former Olympic Champion Rhythmic Gymnast?

[MinneapolisMatt]

I'm not sure where to post this, so mods please move if needed.

Note:

I'm heavily involved in the gymnastics world, and this is some very shocking news, not only to us in the gymnastics world, but I would imagine to the rest of the world as well!

The source is a gymnastics magazine which quotes a Russian paper,Moscow Correspondent, so take it as you will.

There have been rumors that Putin and Kabayeva have been more than friends since the 2000 Olympics (when she was 17!), but of course these are just rumors.

Interestingly though, he did just divorce his wife.

I'd also like to add that the Russian rhythmic gymnastics program is heavily tied to the Russian mob. Alina's coach, Irina Viner is married to Alisher Usmanov, who was jailed in the Soviet days, owns Metalloinvest, has huge shares of Gazprom, owns the Russian paper Kommersant, and TV channel TV7. He is the 142nd richest man in the world according to Forbes (he's a billionaire).

Kabayeva herself is a member of the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, representing the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. That would be Putin's party. :)

Crazy stuff!

http://www.intlgymnast.com/Online-Features/News/289.html

World and Olympic rhythmic champion Alina Kabayeva is set to marry outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin, a Russian newspaper printed Monday.

"Moscow Correspondent" published that Putin, 55, divorced his wife two months ago, and plans to marry Kabayeva, 25, in June.

Kabayeva won the all-around bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. She has won numerous world and European titles, and was stripped of her gold medals at the 2001 World Championships for testing positive for diuretics at the Goodwill Games a few months earlier.

Kabayeva retired in 2004 and made a brief comeback attempt in 2006. In 2007 she was elected to the Russian parliament, representing Putin's United Russia party.


Putin was elected as Russian president in 1999 and his second term expires in May.

[ShaneGR]

1. Very lucky man.... Pic of the bride to be!!!

This is really her:





Honestly, can you blame the man?

[babylonsister]

3. ROFL! And OUCH! nt

[amandabeech]

4. So what about his first wife. You know, the one who supported him throughout his career?

Does she just trudge off to Siberia and die?

I hope that she gets a huge, and I mean huge, settlement, and finds someone who will appreciate her.

Putin's a jerk in my book.

[ShaneGR]

6. I have no idea, but I'd bet she's pretty well taken care of....

To be honest, I just saw the pictures of the bride to be, and said to myself:

"SELF, remind me to marry a beautiful, extremely flexible, extremely tiny, russian gymnast"

Hey, sue me, I always liked shorter girls, maybe not gymnast short though, lol.

[MnFats]

26. Could be this: Accept my offer, or the KGB will see that you sleep with the fishes

putin is supposed to be quick to anger.
and isn't he an old KGB guy?
I wouldn't f*** around with his ilk.

[Faygo Kid]

27. Same offer Rush Limbaugh's three wives got, no doubt.

They have no doubt been VERY well compensated, to keep their mouths shut.

[Faygo Kid]

17. Kinky! Vladimir, you dog you. Smilin' Bob has nothing on you.

The mind fairly boggles at the possibilities.

[babylonsister]

2. I had no idea he got divorced. And Putin is still going to be heavily

involved in running Russia. Very interesting.

[Strelnikov_]

5. It's good to be the Czar

Guess Putina should be happy that she didn't meet the fate of some of the wives of Henry VIII.

[kskiska]

7. I've found nothing online about a Putin divorce

other than this gymnastic magazine. Very strange.

Edited after reading entire article, which I should have done in the first place.

[MinneapolisMatt]

10. Sadly...

...it wouldn't shock me if the Russian people hadn't yet heard about his divorce, they way they are controlling the media these days.

I'll keep looking for more sources though!

:)

[bullwinkle428]

8. First Sarcozy...then Putin...what's next?

My guess - * will announce he's dumping Pickles and he's now engaged to Britney Spears...

[Nostradammit]

9. Britney's not THAT stoned

not yet, anyway.

[kskiska]

11. Maybe it'll be Angela Merkel

The backrub could've been just a prelude. Here she is in her latest photos:



German Chancellor Angela Merkel shows off plunging neckline

Angela Merkel shows she's keeping abreast of foreign affairs on a State visit last night - and teaching our Home Secretary Jacqui Smith a lesson into the bargain.

Germany's Chancellor revealed her impressive decolletage while chatting to Norway's prime minister Jens Stoltenberg at the opening of Olso Opera House.

And to his credit, Mr Stoltenberg maintained crucial, and diplomatic, eye contact with his guest at the inauguration of the cultural landmark.

more…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=559369&in_page_id=1770

[AnnieBW]

13. If ya got it, flaunt it!

Nice ta-tas there, Frau Chancellor!

[Doctor Cynic]

12. The "Leave Britney Alone" ugly chick

Can you imagine her press conferences?

"After all he's been through, he's only been enriching his billionaire friends for the past eight years!"

"And how DARE you spend the whole day making fun of George! LEAVE GEORGE ALONE!"

[MinneapolisMatt]

14. Here's another source:

http://www.moscor.ru/politika/vladimir_putin_zhenitsja_na_aline_kabaevojj/

It's in Russian.

[MinneapolisMatt]

15. And here is the (as always) hillarious Babelfish translation!

Vladimir Putin is married Alina kabayevoy?
"moskoru" became known the sensational details of the forthcoming wedding of the century
As it became known To "moskoru" from it was circular, close to the St. Petersburg establishment, among the capital companies, which carry out the organization of corporate holidays, was declared the closed tender to the right of conducting the wedding of Vladimir Putin and Deputy of the Gosduma from the fraction "united Russia" Alina kabayev.

-------

Divorce did take place?
– Vladimir Putin here already as two months is separated and free from family bonds, – reported our informant, close friend of the leader of company Art- management center Carnival- style, which participates in the closed competition to the right of conducting the wedding of Vladimir Putin. – The appropriate die in the passport was placed to it in one of ZAGS - Civil Registry Office of Saint Petersburg. This occurred during February. Among the clients of company Art- management center Carnival- style such monsters of business as LG, OOO "Ural steel", JOINT STOCK COMPANY OF "GMK "Noril'sk- nickel ", "Konsul'tant+ ", "VTB ", company "Johnson and Johnson ".

------------

Let us wait to the trinity
Wedding most likely will be appointed (or it is already assigned) to the trinity, which in this year comes on 15 June. It takes place, undoubtedly, on the native land of the President – in Saint Petersburg in The konstantinovskom palace. On a composition of those invited, their quantity and about that, how much on it will be drunk and eaten, until nothing it is known.

---------------------

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[kskiska]

16. New story on this

Report: Russia's Putin is divorced and plans to marry ex-gymnast

Moscow - A Russian tabloid broke taboo by reporting Russia's president Vladimir Putin had divorced his wife Lyudimilla and plans to wed 24-year-old former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva. The Kremlin Tuesday refused to comment on the article which was posted on the daily's Moskovsky Korrespondent website on Friday.

The article cited a source close to event planning firm Art-management in Putin's native St. Petersburg, saying the company was competing for the right to host the wedding.

Compared to most other world leaders, very little is known about the personal life of the 55-year-old ex-KGB agent, who succeeded Boris Yeltsin eight years ago practically unknown in the west.

Russian's First Lady, Lyudimilla, is rarely in the limelight and the couple's two daughters, Masha and Katya, live under pseudonyms and are closely guarded.

But the newspaper reported that Putin had divorced two months ago. It speculated that he was planning a June wedding, timed after he steps down as president in May.

(snip)

The curvaceous gymnast has been pictured semi-naked draped in furs, in shots that recall pictures sold this month of France's new First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

more…
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/199085,report-russias-putin-is-divorced-and-plans-to-marry-ex-gymnast.html

[bdamomma]

18. oh, I bet she will keep him going.

[alfredo]

19. Putin must be going through his middle age crazies

First we see him without his shirt, now a trophy wife. Is he wearing gold chains?

[DavidDvorkin]

20. Sleazy, sure, but this isn't crazy

[alfredo]

22. A man does go a bit crazy when he realizes that his strength is waning and

that he is indeed mortal. It happens to all of us. It's worse with the men who have not lived the life they wanted to live.

[DavidDvorkin]

24. Nah

Most of us don't go crazy. We may be filled with regrets, some (few) do sleazy things, but that doesn't make them crazy.

Being physically attracted to a lovely young gymnast is perfectly normal, at any age. Dumping one's wife because she's older grown old is sleazy.

[alfredo]

25. Sleazy is just a symptom. A pretty woman is a pretty woman.

Dumping one's wife for a newer model is moral bankruptcy.

[DavidDvorkin]

28. Okay, I can agree with that.

[alfredo]

29. I've been around the corporate world enough to become well

aquatinted with he trophy wife. I've also developed contempt for the businessman.

[Ernest Partridge]

21. Molodyetz, Volodya!

Dumping the wife who stuck with him through thick and thin?

Then marrying a much younger babe?

(I didn't notice, but is her family tied to the the Russian vodka biz?)

Could never happen here, of course.

The voters would never tolerate such behavior in their presidential candidates.

Would they?

[lutefisk]

23. Bush (Chimpy) is very competitive. Laura better remove all the gymnast magazines...

...from the Chimperor's private bathroom before he devises himself a plan.

Beware of young gymnasts, Pickles...

(Maybe this is why Condi's been working out so much lately?)

[Malikoff]

30. I really lost a LOT of respect for Putin. I thought he had higher morals.

I really lost a LOT of respect for Putin. I thought he had higher morals.