At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, who is an Individual Neutral Athlete?

After Russia's attack on Ukraine with support from Belarus in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suggested that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be prevented from participating in global sporting events.

In January 2023, the IOC expressed its plan to allow these athletes to take part in competitions as neutrals, much like how Russian and Belarusian tennis players appear at ATP, WTA, and Grand Slam events without mention of their nationality.

In October 2023, the Russian Olympic Committee was banned by the IOC when it incorporated Ukrainian regional sports organizations from Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia.

This decision has spawned a heated discussion about whether Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to participate in the Olympics, with Ukrainian athletes being especially vocal about their reservations.

Nevertheless, the IOC's Executive Board ruled that punishing athletes based solely on their passports would be unjust, so some of them will be allowed to compete in Paris under strict conditions.

Here's everything you need to know about the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Olympics.

Terminology for 'Neutral Athletes'

Athletes with either a Russian or Belarusian passport who will be competing in the upcoming games in July and August are referred to as Individual Neutral Athletes or simply AINs, derived from the French translation 'Athlètes Individuels Neutres.'

To be eligible, these athletes must satisfy certain criteria.

Throughout the Games, no Russian or Belarusian affiliation will be mentioned in regards to the athletes.

The IOC's statement emphasizes that "the sanctions against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, remain in place for the Olympic Games Paris 2024."

Russia's Igor Kobzar serves in the men's gold medal volleyball match between France and Russia during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – there will be no Russian representation in team events this year.

Consequently, "no flag, anthem, colors or any other identifications whatsoever of Russia or Belarus will be displayed at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in any official venue or any official function."

The appearance of the AINs' competition gear is still unknown, as well as whether they'll wear the blue colors of the AINs' flag or just basic sportswear. A song without lyrics has also been commissioned for Medal Ceremonies.

AINs are permitted to win Olympic medals, but these medals won't be displayed in the medal table of nations.

The AINs will be excluded from the parade of delegations at the Opening Ceremony because they're not a team; however, according to the IOC, "an opportunity will be provided for them to experience the event."

Review Panel for Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility

In December 2023, the IOC decided that Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualified through the international federations' existing systems would need to comply with stringent guidelines if they are selected as AINs.

These athletes won't compete as a team; individual participation is the only option.

Athletes and staff associated with the war or contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies will not be allowed to be included or take part in competitions.

Like all other athletes, AINs must meet anti-doping requirements to be considered for selection.

The eligibility of these athletes will be reviewed by the newly formed Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel.

The final version of the AIN flag assigned by the IOC on 19 March 2024.

Pau Gasol, a two-time NBA champion and six-time All-Star, is a member of the panel, serving as part of the IOC Ethics Commission.

Gasol will be joined by IOC Vice-President Nicole Hoevertsz, who was a former artistic swimmer, and former Olympic table tennis gold medalist Ryu Seung-min, representing the Athletes’ Commission.

Federations must submit their lists of qualified athletes to the panel for examination.

In 2020 (delayed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 crisis) and 2022, Russian athletes competed under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) due to their nation's state-sponsored doping program.

Athletes could compete under the ROC banner if they could prove they weren't part of the scandal.

However, with the ROC adopting both the name and colors of Russia and the subsequent ROC suspension in October, it was no longer a feasible option for Russian athletes to compete under this name in Paris.

It's worth noting that the ROC was not a neutral body, but rather a delegation of Russian athletes that didn't officially represent Russia but retained a right to do so.

Estimated Number of AINs Competing in Paris

As of March 28, 2023, 12 Russian passport holders and seven holders of Belarusian passports have qualified for Paris 2024. However, the IOC cautioned that the final number of AINs in the Games would only be revealed once the selection process was finalized.

Theoretically, there could be a maximum of 55 and 28 AINs from Russia and Belarus, respectively.

Athletes from the ROC enter the stadium in Beijing, China on February 2022.

In contrast, Russia dispatched 330 athletes to Tokyo in 2021, while Belarus sent 104.

There's also the question of whether Moscow will accept the predetermined conditions by the IOC.

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Russia is organizing its own "Friendship Games" in the coming months, an event that has been criticized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The names of the athletes involved have not yet been disclosed, but it's likely that Russian top tennis player Daniil Medvedev will be among them. Medvedev, a former world No. 1, recently expressed his desire to participate as a neutral athlete.

"I made up my mind that whenever I have the chance to play in the Olympics, I want to be there," Medvedev said last month. "I want to represent what I can represent. If it's not under my country's flag, I know who I am, I know why I play tennis, and I've been doing it like this my whole life."

Russia has competed under a neutral flag on two previous occasions.

In 2017, the ROC was suspended due to the doping scandal in preparation for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Despite the suspension, Russian athletes who met certain conditions were still allowed to participate as "Olympic Athletes from Russia" and were represented by the Olympic flag.

In 1992, Russia and Belarus were part of the "Unified Team" at the Summer Games in Barcelona. This team was composed of former Soviet republics – except for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – who decided to compete as one entity. The Unified Team flew the Olympic flag, but athletes were honored with the flags of their respective nations.