Sport gives Siberian youngsters relief from hard life

NOVOSIBIRSK, Russia, Mar 16 (Reuters) If Viktor Kyzlakov had not taken up wrestling at a young age, the chances are his life would follow the same pattern as many of his peers: alcoholism, drugs, unemployment and even prison.

Instead, the sport has given the stocky 13-year-old a chance to emulate local hero Alexander Karelin, the great Greco-Roman wrestler who won three Olympic and nine world heavyweight titles in the 1980s and 90s.

Kyzlakov spends most of his time at Pervomaets, one of several wrestling clubs in Novosibirsk, an industrial city of 1.3 million in the heart of Siberia and 3,700 km east of Moscow.

It is located in a tough, district, where most locals work in a nearby railway depot.

''He is here almost every day, even when he is not training,'' said Kyzlakov's coach Eduard Kulatayev.

''He comes from a broken home, no father, his alcoholic mother has two other kids, so this club is like a second home to him. He even eats in our staff dining room free of charge.'' Natalia Paramonovna, who spent 37 of her 58 years working at the depot, brought her seven-year-old grandson Sasha Utemeshev.

''He has no father,'' she said of the boy. ''At home, there are only females -- his mother, sister and myself. We think he needs to be around men to grow up as a real man and wrestling seems to be the right sport for that.'' ''It is a real working-class neighbourhood,'' said Novosibirsk sports chief Alexander Solodkin, pointing to grim-looking surroundings on the outskirts of the city.

''Wrestling and boxing are the two main sports here. Tennis or golf just wouldn't be popular here.'' VILLAGE GAMES While wrestling reigns supreme in Novosibirsk, in Siberian villages it is biathlon and cross-country skiing that rule the sports scene.

On a bright sunny day, hundreds of athletes from around the region, some from as far as 600 km away, braved temperatures of minus 25 Celsius to attend the opening of the local Winter Games in the small village of Kolyvan, deep in the Siberian forest.

''Siberians are famous for producing great champions in winter sports, particularly in biathlon,'' said Solodkin.

''Everyone knows the names of Alexander Tikhonov and Viktor Mamatov,'' he said in reference to two local heroes who won numerous world and Olympic biathlon titles.

After the competition, most villagers also like to engage in their favourite pastime -- steaming in the ''Russian banya'', or bathhouse, then dipping into the icy water to cool off.

Novosibirsk Governor Viktor Tolokonsky says building sports infrastructure and engaging young people in physical activity has become a number one priority for the regional government.

''We finally realised that people, not gas and oil, are our most precious resources,'' Tolokonsky told Reuters at the Games opening ceremony in Kolyvan.

''It's about time we take care of our own people, give them a chance to live a decent life, to fulfil their dreams.'' ''Just a few years ago we didn't have enough money to buy gas for teams to drive a bus to neighbouring villages for their matches,'' said Tolokonsky, a former basketball player.

''Now, we're building quality sports facilities in many of our towns and villages, giving people opportunities to engage in their favourite sports.'' LOCAL ABRAMOVICH They are doing just that in the town of Berdsk, where local construction magnate Viktor Golubev, affectionately called ''our Roman Abramovich'' in reference to Chelsea's billionaire owner, has helped to build a modern indoor hockey arena and a multi-sport indoor complex, including a 25-metre swimming pool.

''We now have several national teams in various sports wanting to come and train here next summer,'' said Solodkin.

''I don't think you'll find a better place to prepare for the Beijing Olympics as we have only a one-hour time difference with Beijing in the summer.'' Sport also plays an important social role in the Novosibirsk region, which is almost the size of Britain.

''Drug addiction and juvenile delinquency have been big problems in our city,'' said Berdsk mayor Alexander Terepa.

''But both of them have fallen by half since we installed these sports facilities because it keeps many of our young people off the streets.'' Solodkin added: ''With adequate infrastructure, I'm sure, we'll be able to produce new Karelins and Tikhonovs. But even if not all of them become great champions, sport should help them become good citizens.'' Back in the wrestling gym, young Kyzlakov was having a short rest before his next training session.

''Sure, everyone here knows who Karelin is and we all look up to him,'' Kyzlakov said when asked about the Novosibirsk native, who was voted the greatest wrestler of the 20th century by the International Wrestling Federation in 2002.

''It would be a really great honour for me or anyone else here to be compared one day with this great champion.'' REUTERS SAM KP1038