Muscovites Get Free Metro Ride For Doing 'Olympic' Squats

A young woman squats in front of a vending machine that issues subway tickets in exchange for squats instead of money.

Moscow metro passengers can now get a free ride in exchange for a little workout in an Olympic promotion in the Russian capital.

A new machine at the Vystavochnaya metro station installed on November 8 by the Russian Olympic Committee to promote the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi is proving quite popular.

It issues a free ticket to anyone who can do 30 squats in two minutes.

A typical Moscow metro ticket costs about 30 rubles ($0.95).

Organizers say they hope the machine encourages people to "add elements of sport into daily life."

Another Sochi Olympic promotion allows people to recharge their mobile phones by pedaling stationary bicycles.

The Winter Olympics will take place in February 2014.


Based on reporting by AFP and ITAR-TASS