体坛英语新闻：Russian Olympic team combines youth and experience: sports minister

MOSCOW, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Russian Olympic team combines youth with experience and it has been a serious base for future success, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Thursday.

"Average age (of the team) is 22.5 years. This is the answer to those who say that we survive on some old baggage and eating the leftovers," Mutko told reporters.

In reality, he said, this is a generally-balanced team which could be a base for the future successes.

"Overall, we can say that the team has been formed and it is a very interesting team," Mutko said. "Sixty-three percent are rookies who have never taken part in the Olympic Games before. There will be 223 athletes, so the team was mostly renewed," he noted.

The youngest athlete in the Russian team is 15-year-old female figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya.

Mutko refused to predict the results of the Russian team at the 22nd Winter Olympics in Sochi but said he wished the boys and girls success.

"It is a result of a four-year program that have laid some future tendencies. I don't know how we will do at the Olympics, but I want to hope that we'll do great."

The Sochi Olympics will take place on Feb. 7-23.