Russian Olympic* gold medalist in gymnastics Alina Kabaeva, who was rumored
to have an affair with President Vladimir Putin, gave birth to son in Moscow
earlier this week.
Alina Kabaeva*
Sergey Ponomarev/Associated PressAlina Kabayeva, in 2006 at the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships.She has since retired and now holds a seat in Russia’s Parliament. Ms. Kabayeva did not comment on a newspaper’s report that President Vladimir V. Putin had divorced his wife and had plans to marry her.
* Russian media kept conspicuously quiet about Kabaeva's
pregnancy and personal life.Not only it did not report who the farther of the child is, but it barely
covered the Kabaeva is the last nine months. Russian bloggers almost
unanimously declared Vladimir Putin the father, noting that otherwise the
news about Kabaeva's child would be on the front pages of the newspapers.
Last year, President Putin bluntly
denied<http://www.nytimes.
rumors that he divorced his wife Ludmila to marry the 25-year-old
gymnast. Moskovsky Korrespondent, the newspaper that first reported the
news, was immediately shut down by its owner, Alexander Lebedev (who,
incidentally, later bought *The Evening Standard*.) The ousted editor
of *Moskovsky
Korrespondent* said in one of the interviews that the rumor about the affair
was not true and was made up by the newspaper staff in an effort to boost
the paper's ratings, while another editor said that "they had an insider tip
and they reported it."
After retiring from gymnastics in 2006, Alina Kabaeva, the most successful
Russian rhythmic gymnast to date and one of the most decorated gymnasts in
history with 18 World Championship medals and 2 Olympic medals, was selected
to the State Parliament by United Russia, a political party controlled by
Vladimir Putin. She has been active in promoting sports and education among
children. Kabaeva was voted one of the most beautiful women in Russia in
2005 and 2006.
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