大象传媒

There鈥檚 a moral panic in Russia and several former Soviet states about a craze in which teenagers and children dress up as animals and walk on all fours like their favourite animals. In one TikTok video, a group of youngsters are seen scampering across Moscow鈥檚 Red Square wearing fox masks and tails.

Politicians and religious leaders have warned the trend is a threat to civilised values and a cover for LGBT and western ideology. Legislation is now being considered to ban quadrobics and fine or arrest parents of enthusiasts. But quadrobics has a longer history as a form of exercise. We speak to the pioneering Japanese athlete who first set the world record for covering 100m on all fours in 2008.

Audio for this episode was updated on 26th February 2025.

Producer/presenter: Ed Main
Reporter: Fridon Kiria
Additional reporting: Emi Jozuka
Editor: Flora Carmichael