Piglets compete in swimming after being thrown into the water during the Pig Olympics in Moscow April 15, 2006. 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 "pigball". 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 favourite, Kostik Schwein. In pigball, 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 roubles (2.05 pounds) on Borka to win the running race, in honour 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?"

上周六，一年一度的“小猪奥林匹克”运动会在俄罗斯开幕。运动会第一天，数百名俄罗斯人来到赛场，为12只参加赛跑、游泳和猪球比赛的小猪呐喊助威。 被带进比赛场地的小猪身穿印有参赛号码的“运动服”，不断发出愤怒的长声尖叫。莫斯科人则在场外为小猪选手下赌注，来自乌克兰的小猪“尼古拉”、代表南非的参赛者“纳尔逊”和本地受宠选手“科斯季克·施魏因”都被人们看好。 在“猪球”项目中，参赛者须在封闭的赛场内，用“嘴”拱一只带有甜味的球，把球拱进球门的小猪就得分。 在众多的小猪爱好者中还有俄罗斯激进民族主义政治家弗拉基米尔·日里诺夫斯基。在小猪赛跑项目中，他把100卢布（合2.05英镑）押在了一只名叫“博尔卡”的小猪身上，以此纪念他的一位政治对手。 弗拉基米尔·日里诺夫斯基告诉路透社说：“从小到大，我一直都很喜欢猪。我还是个小孩的时候，就养有四五只猪。” 小猪运动员联合会副主席阿列克谢·沙斯科夫说，该联合会已有100名小猪运动员，不管这次参赛者输赢与否，他们都前途光明。 阿列克谢·沙斯科夫承诺说：“这些小猪将生育新一代小猪运动员。它们不会被吃掉，你怎么能把闻名于世的运动员给吃掉呢？” (中国日报网站编译)