The “quadrobists”, these young Russians who move on all fours to the great dismay of the authorities

Moving on all fours, reproducing the movements of animals by wearing masks, ears, fake fur paws and even artificial tails: this is “quadrobics”, a mixture of a certain form of animality and sport which is gaining popularity in Russia. According to the economic daily Knowledge, “the first Russian website dedicated to this activity was created in 2021, but it was in the spring of 2024 that the phenomenon began to spread, when videos of acrobatic figures imitating animal movements went viral on the network social TikTok”.

According to the media Krym Realii, the site dedicated to Crimea Radio Freedom, “the word quadrobics [en français ‘quadrobic’ (de ‘quadrupède’ et ‘aérobic’)] is a mixture of the Latin word four and the English word aerobics”. The outlet traces the origin of this trend, explaining that it is inspired by the exploits of Japanese sprinter Kenichi Ito, who holds a Guinness record for running 100 meters on all fours in 15.71 seconds in 2015.

This sport, to say the least original, then transformed itself to the point of becoming a subculture in Russia. One of the most popular Telegram channels on the subject has more than 12,000 members.

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