With the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics approaching, the Russian Olympic Committee have launched an initiative to encourage public transport users to engage in a little physical activity in support of the pending event.
Passengers travelling on Moscow's metro network are being rewarded with free tickets in exchange for performing 30 squats in front of a specially implemented Olympic-branded machine, each fitted with sensors that ensure participants have correctly and honestly performed a full set within a 2-minute time frame.
One commuter by the name of Oleg said: "If you try hard and set a goal you can come and do enough squats to earn a monthly or yearly pass, so why not?"
![Sochi 2014 - Olympic squats]( "Winter-Olympics-Moscow-station-outdoor-campaign")
![Sochi 2014 - Olympic squats]( "Winter-Olympics-Moscow-station-outdoor-campaign")
Keen to push "Olympic values" into the public mindset, this keep-fit rail campaign has harnessed support from professional sports stars and is working to generate national Olympic hype prior to the arrival of international visitors, whilst adding "elements of sport into daily life".
The project will also see bus handles moonlighting as exercise bars and exercise bikes in the city that produce enough power to charge mobile phones. Head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexander Zhukov, said: "We wanted to show that the Olympic Games is not just an international competition that people watch on TV, but that it is also about getting everyone involved in a sporting lifestyle".
Passengers travelling on Moscow's metro network are being rewarded with free tickets in exchange for performing 30 squats in front of a specially implemented Olympic-branded machine, each fitted with sensors that ensure participants have correctly and honestly performed a full set within a 2-minute time frame.
One commuter by the name of Oleg said: "If you try hard and set a goal you can come and do enough squats to earn a monthly or yearly pass, so why not?"
Keen to push "Olympic values" into the public mindset, this keep-fit rail campaign has harnessed support from professional sports stars and is working to generate national Olympic hype prior to the arrival of international visitors, whilst adding "elements of sport into daily life".
The project will also see bus handles moonlighting as exercise bars and exercise bikes in the city that produce enough power to charge mobile phones. Head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexander Zhukov, said: "We wanted to show that the Olympic Games is not just an international competition that people watch on TV, but that it is also about getting everyone involved in a sporting lifestyle".