St. Petersburg, May 31 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The torch for next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi is like a Kalashnikov rifle, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
During a visit here, Putin watched as the torch was taken apart and put back together, prompting him to quip that the torch's gas pipe resembles the barrel of the famous Soviet-designed weapon.
"No matter what you try and make in Russia, it always turns out like a Kalashnikov," he joked.
Putin's remark drew smiles from International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge and Sochi 2014 chief organiser Dmitry Chernyshenko. Russian internet users have compared the silver-and-red torch's shape to a flame used in the logo for Russian state gas firm Gazprom.
More than 14,000 torch-bearers are set to take part in the record-breaking 65,000-km route. The torch relay will start Oct 7 and end with the Feb 7 opening ceremony.
A host of athletes have already signed up to take part in the relay, including hockey star Alex Ovechkin, pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva, footballer Alexander Kerzhakov and 12-time Olympic medal-winning gymnast Alexei Nemov.
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Earlier, Putin attended the unveiling of the medals for the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Kalashnikov was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949 and has been a mainstay of armed forces around the world since then, in various versions.
Putin has been shown shooting a range of firearms during his time in office, contributing to his image as a macho leader. Perhaps his most famous shot was taken with a non-lethal weapon, in an incident in 2009 when he tranquilised a Siberian tiger with a dart gun.
--IANS/RIA Novosti
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