Who cares if Russia can't even get an entry place in the FIFA proceedings, or as much as lowly bronze medal in world championship ice hockey even if the event is staged in St. Petersburg? What do those defeats mean next to Russia's newfound ability to brag, as we learned over the weekend, that its homeless people are second-to-none when it comes to football. Coming on the heels of Russia's dominating performance at the Pig Olympics, as previously reported by La Russophobe, this is convincing evidence that true athletic glory will never be a stranger in Russia.

And there was also confirmation that Russia maintains its traditional dominance in the national pastime athletics: cheating. Scandal broke out in Elista when Russian chess champion Vladimir Kramnik was accused by his Bulgarian challenger of abusing his bathroom privileges during a match so that the could receive illegal advice. Kramnik used the accusations as an excuse to bail out of the tournament.