Mr. Putin stopped by a pro-Kremlin youth camp yesterday, setting a fine example of physical fitness for the children enrolled at the camp. The Moscow Times reports that he scaled an alpinist climbing wall without the aid of a safety harness and Sky News reports that he refereed an arm wrestling contest and attempted to bend a metal frying pan with his bare hands. It appears from the photos that he was unsuccessful with the latter.
He also made a modest weight loss pledge – half a kilogram by the end of summer – and talked about it with campers who complained about their own weight.
The camp was established in 2005 for the pro-Putin youth group Nashi. When President Dmitry Medvedev visited the camp last year, the campers gave him a huge portrait of Putin, the Moscow Times reports.
Putin dodged questions during his visit about whether he would be running for president next year.
