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In January 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced to allow the Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals called Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) if they meet the eligibility requirements set by the IOC.
In the past, Russian athletes have participated donning different appearances in the 128-year Olympics history and they will get another new name at the Paris Olympics 2024, scheduled to start on July 26.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the IOC recommended that Russian and Belarus athletes should be banned from competing in international sporting events.
However, 500 days after the Russian invasion, Russian and Belarusian tennis players were allowed to play as neutrals at Wimbledon in July 2023.
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There were a lot of conversations around whether Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete at the Paris Olympics, particularly after Ukrainian athletes voiced out their concerns against their participation.
Nevertheless, the IOC Executive Board, after multiple discussions, confirmed that it would be unfair to punish athletes based on their passports alone. Eventually, they allowed a few of the athletes to compete in Paris only if they met the strict guidelines set by the IOC.
No flag, anthem, or colors for Russian and Belarusian athletes at Paris Olympics 2024
As mentioned above, the Russian and Belarusian athletes will be competing as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in individual sports after passing the additional vetting process set by the IOC.
The vetting process is to confirm that the athletes are not supporting the war and haven’t been contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military. Furthermore, the athletes should also meet the anti-doping requirements.
No reference to either country will be made during the games. All the passed athletes will don unique sportswear with the AIN logo. An anthem without lyrics will be used in medal ceremonies.
Furthermore, AINs’ medal tally will not be displayed alongside the medal table of other nations. Moreover, AINs will not take part in the opening ceremony, scheduled to take part on July 26.
At the time of writing this article, a total of 15 AINs from Russia and Belarus have confirmed their participation according to the official information available on the Olympics website.
