August 2008: Ramzan Kadyrov drives Olympic wrestlers Buivasar Saitiev and Islambek Aliyev through Grozny. (c) Said Gutsiev / RIA Novosti. All rights reserved.At a glance, Buvaisar Saitiev and Ziyavudin Magomedov bear little resemblance. The former is rugged, rough-hewn, and renowned as the greatest freestyle wrestler in Olympic history. The latter — a tall, handsome, man who happens to be one of the richest men in Russia. They both, however, share a common Caucasus heritage, as well as a delicate position in the intricate tapestry that is sports culture in the Russian Federation.
There is a particular design at work in Russian sports culture — a marked trajectory that begins with combat sports excellence and culminates in political influence.
The prestige associated with combat sports in the North Caucasus is rooted in the region’s love for martial arts that flourished here over the last century, as well as overwhelming pride in the fighting spirit of their highlander ancestors. It sets you on a violent path that nevertheless pivots away from extremist alternatives. Those who rigidly adhere to this path enjoy the ultimate form of social mobility in Dagestan. And it is where Saitiev and Magomedov found common ground.
