MOSCOW — Luxury cars, apartments, even a racehorse — being an Olympic medallist in Russia can come with great material rewards, but also controversy. Under President Vladimir Putin, it’s become a tradition for Russia’s Olympic heroes to be showered with large cash sums and sometimes unwanted gifts. It couldn’t be independently verified by The Associated Press, though Russian agency R-Sport claimed the seller was a Russian medallist who thought the car was too big and unwieldy. Still, all may not be well for Sadulaev, who’s nicknamed the “Russian Tank” for his habit of crushing opponents on the wrestling mat. He’s already facing an allegation from a Moscow radio presenter of reckless driving in his eye-catching BMW.

Source: National Post August 26, 2016 19:41 UTC