Putin congratulates Russians on Winter Sports Day

Today Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Olympians, athletes and fans on the second anniversary of the opening of the XXII Olympic and XI Paralympic Winter Games, and the Day of Winter Sports.

According to the President, this holiday can be rightfully considered national, because in Russia winter sports have a big, well-deserved popularity.

He noted that, in many regions of the country, thousands of people of different ages, professions and hobbies are engaged in skiing and ice skating, play hockey and descend from the ski slopes.

"It is noted that renowned champions, who were triumphant in the recent 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games, have grown precisely because of amateur sport," RIA Novosti quotes Putin as saying.