Individual Neutral Athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics
| Individual Neutral Athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
| IOC code | AIN |
| in Paris, France 26 July 2024 – 11 August 2024 | |
| Competitors | 18 in 5 sports |
| Flag bearer | N/A |
| Medals Ranked 0th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Russian Empire (1900–1912) Soviet Union (1952–1988) Unified Team (1992) Russia (1994–2016) ROC (2020–2022)
 Belarus | |
Individual Neutral Athletes is the name used to represent approved Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned the nations' previous designations due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The IOC country code is AIN, after the French name Athlètes Individuels Neutres.[1]
The delegation is banned from using the neutral Olympic flag and Olympic anthem, and will instead use a flag depicting a circular AIN emblem and a one-off instrumental anthem, both assigned by the IOC.[2] The delegation will also not be allowed to take part in the opening ceremony.[3]
While the flag uses the singular wording "Individual Neutral Athlete", the IOC uses the plural wording "Individual Neutral Athletes" in prose.
Individual neutral athletes must be approved by each sport's international federation, but an international federation has the discretion not to approve any athletes in their sport.[4]
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![The "draft"[5] version of the AIN flag assigned by the IOC on 8 December 2023](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Individual_Neutral_Athletes_at_the_2024_Summer_Olympics_Logo.svg/120px-Individual_Neutral_Athletes_at_the_2024_Summer_Olympics_Logo.svg.png)
The "draft"[5] version of the AIN flag assigned by the IOC on 8 December 2023 -
The final version of the AIN flag assigned by the IOC on 19 March 2024
![The "draft"[5] version of the AIN flag assigned by the IOC on 8 December 2023](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Individual_Neutral_Athletes_at_the_2024_Summer_Olympics_Logo.svg/120px-Individual_Neutral_Athletes_at_the_2024_Summer_Olympics_Logo.svg.png){kind=logo}
Background
Timeline
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, its third violation of the Olympic Truce, the IOC banned Russia and Belarus[a] and recommended that other international sporting organizers do the same on 28 February 2022.[6] Accordingly, Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from the 2022 Winter Paralympics.
On 25 January 2023, the IOC published a statement supporting the idea that Russian and Belarusian athletes could be allowed to compete as neutrals, as long as they did not "actively" support the war and as long as Russian and Belarusian flags, anthems, colors, and names were disallowed (thus banning the alternate designations used by Russia in 2018 and 2020).[7]
On 28 March 2023, the IOC introduced the AIN name and narrowed the requirements down to individual athletes, disallowing any teams of Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing. For events organized by international federations other than the IOC, the IOC recommended to use no flag at all (or if not possible, the event's flag, the IF's flag, or the letters "AIN") and the event's anthem or the IF's anthem.[8] Federations that did not have French as an official language still used the AIN name.[9] The IOC also donated $5 million (USD) to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.[10]
On 22 September 2023, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned the Russian flag and anthem from international sporting events for a second time[b] due to Russian legislation and RUSADA failing to comply with the World Anti-Doping Code, overlapping with the Olympic Truce ban. WADA announced that the ban would not be lifted until "the non-conformities related to national legislation are corrected in full."[11][12]
On 12 October 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee until further notice, overlapping with the other two bans, due to its violation of the Olympic Charter due to annexing the Olympic Councils of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk into the Russian Olympic Committee; at the time of its violation of the Olympic Charter, Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov had said: "I don’t see any difficulties here."[13].[14][15][16] The Russian Olympic Committee responded to its suspension by saying that the IOC had not issued a similar suspension after the Russian Olympic Committee annexed a sporting entity in Crimea in 2014, to which the IOC replied "this argument was a little bit, 'Why did you not sanction us already, earlier?'"[17]
On 8 December 2023, the IOC published a "draft" version of the AIN flag depicting a colorless emblem on a white background, and stated that they would decide on a different neutral anthem at a later date.[5] The IOC also officially stated that the AIN designation would apply to the Paris 2024 games, and that official medal tables would exclude the AIN.
On 19 March 2024, the IOC updated the AIN flag to teal text and a teal background,[18] and published an instrumental anthem "produced solely for this purpose."[2] The IOC also announced that the AIN delegation would be banned from parading in the opening ceremony.
Controversy
Ukrainian officials have criticized the IOC for not banning Russia despite it thrice violating the Olympic Truce, while others have alternately criticized the IOC for applying rules against Russia that do not get applied against other countries.[citation needed]
In particular, the requirement that athletes must not actively support the war has been described as "ineffectual". For example, Russian IOC member Yelena Isinbayeva was cleared as "not linked with the Russian military and not supporting the invasion", despite being pictured in military uniform and receiving military promotions, and despite pro-Russian citizens expressing anger at Isinbayeva after she claimed in defense that she had "never been in the service of the armed forces".[17] On 29 December 2023, an open letter signed by 261 Ukrainian athletes contained evidence that three of the six[19] Russian athletes cleared to participate had in fact actively supported the war, such as by participating in a pro-war rally in March 2022, or starring in a propaganda video explicitly stating and drumming up support for the Russian military.[20]
A compromise suggestion by Poland, where Russians and Belarusians could compete if they were dissidents, was not acted upon by the IOC.[21]
An argument by the IOC that Russia should not be punished any more harshly than FR Yugoslavia in 1992 has been called deceptive by Ukraine. The IOC has compared Russia to FR Yugoslavia in 1992, arguing that FR Yugoslavia was allowed to compete as neutrals despite being under internationally binding United Nations sanctions, therefore Russia (which is not under internationally binding sanctions) should be allowed to compete as neutrals. Ukraine counters that FR Yugoslavia did not break the Olympic Truce, and that Russia has the power to veto its own sanctions at the United Nations. Ukraine also counters that apartheid South Africa was banned outright from the Olympics for 28 years with no complaint from the IOC about banning athletes "because of their passport".[22]
In December 2023, Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov directly threatened any Russian athlete who may choose to participate as a "neutral" at the 2024 Olympics, saying: "As the head of the ROC, I voice a clear position: ... We live in a free state... But... we strongly recommend that you thoroughly understand ... the extent and consequences of the personal responsibility assumed."[23]
In February 2024, several left-wing French lawmakers sent a letter to the IOC proposing to sanction Israeli athletes while only allowing them to participate under the Individual Neutral Athlete label due to the Israel–Hamas war, which has resulted in significant civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.[24]
Competitors
The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cycling | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Gymnastics | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Rowing | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Swimming | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Taekwondo | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Wrestling | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Total | 12 | 9 | 21 |
Cycling
Road
Three Individual Neutral Athletes qualified as riders for the road race events after securing the quotas through the UCI Nation Ranking.[25]
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's road race | |||
| Men's time trial | |||
| Women's road race | |||
| Women's time trial |
Gymnastics
Trampoline
Individual Neutral Athlete entered three gymnasts (one male and one female) into the 2024 Summer Olympics trampoline competition through the World Cup Series ranking. [26]
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Rank | Score | Rank | ||
| Ivan Litvinovich | Men's | ||||
| Iana Lebedeva | Women's | ||||
| Anzhela Bladtceva | |||||
Rowing
Individual Neutral Athlete rowers qualified boats in each of the following classes through the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
- Men
| Athlete | Event | Heats | Repechage | Semifinals | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Yauheni Zalaty | Single sculls | ||||||||
Swimming
Individual Neutral Athlete swimmers achieved the entry standards in the following events for Paris 2024 (a maximum of two swimmers under the Olympic Qualifying Time (OST) and potentially at the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT)):[27]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Ilya Shymanovich | Men's 100 m breaststroke | ||||||
| Anastasiya Shkurdai | Women's 100 m backstroke | ||||||
| Women's 200 m backstroke | |||||||
| Alina Zmushka | Women's 100 m breaststroke | ||||||
Taekwondo
Individual Neutral Athlete qualified five athletes to compete at the games. Vladislav Larin qualified for Paris 2024 by virtue of finishing within the top one in the WT Grand Slam Series Rankings in his respective division.[28] Meanwhile, Maksim Khramtsov, Tatiana Minina, Georgii Gurtsiev and Polina Khan qualified for their games after advancing to the final round, in their own division, through 2024 European Olympic Qualification Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Repechage | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Georgii Gurtsiev | Men's –58 kg | |||||||
| Maksim Khramtsov | Men's –80 kg | |||||||
| Vladislav Larin | Men's +80 kg | |||||||
| Tatiana Minina | Women's –57 kg | |||||||
| Polina Khan | Women's +67 kg | |||||||
Wrestling
Individual Neutral Athlete qualified six wrestlers for each of the following classes into the Olympic competition. All of them qualified for the games by virtue of top five results through the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.[29][30]
Key:
- VT (ranking points: 5–0 or 0–5) – Victory by fall.
- VB (ranking points: 5–0 or 0–5) – Victory by injury (VF for forfeit, VA for withdrawal or disqualification)
- PP (ranking points: 3–1 or 1–3) – Decision by points – the loser with technical points.
- PO (ranking points: 3–0 or 0–3) – Decision by points – the loser without technical points.
- ST (ranking points: 4–0 or 0–4) – Great superiority – the loser without technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points.
- SP (ranking points: 4–1 or 1–4) – Technical superiority – the loser with technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points.
- Freestyle
| Athlete | Event | Round of 16 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Repechage | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Zaur Uguev | Men's −57 kg | ||||||
| Shamil Mamedov | Men's −65 kg | ||||||
| Zaurbek Sidakov | Men's −74 kg | ||||||
| Abdulla Kurbanov | Men's −125 kg | ||||||
| Vanesa Kaladzinskaya | Women's −53 kg | ||||||
- Greco-Roman
| Athlete | Event | Round of 16 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Repechage | Final / BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Opposition Result |
Rank | ||
| Abubakar Khaslakhanau | Men's −97 kg | ||||||
Notes
- ^ Belarus provided military support to Russia and also allowed Russia to use its territory to stage part of the invasion.
- ^ The first was a four-year ban starting 9 December 2019 due to the Russian doping scandal, which was reduced on appeal to a two-year ban starting 17 December 2020, expiring by 18 December 2022.
References
- ^ "La commission exécutive du CIO admet les athlètes individuels neutres aux Jeux Olympiques de Paris 2024 et impose des conditions d'admission strictes". Olympics.com (in French). 8 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ a b AIN Eligibility Review Panel established by IOC EB – Paris Games-time protocol elements agreed on
- ^ "Paris 2024 Olympics: Russia & Belarus athletes will not be part of opening ceremony". BBC News. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "Russia still banned, but "things change", says Sebastian Coe". 20 December 2023.
- ^ a b Principles of participation for Individual Neutral Athletes olympics.com December 2023
- ^ "IOC EB recommends no participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials". Olympics.com. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "Statement on solidarity with Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and the status of athletes from these countries". Olympics.com. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ Recommended conditions of participants olympics.com March 2023
- ^ Results by events iwf.sport
- ^ "Following a request by the 11th Olympic Summit, IOC issues recommendations for International Federations and international sports event organisers on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions". Olympics.com. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "WADA announces new consequences on RUSADA after ExCo meeting". 22 September 2023.
- ^ "WADA refers fresh Russian anti-doping sanctions to CAS after disputed by RUSADA". 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Russian Olympic Committee accepts members from annexed Ukrainian territories". www.insidethegames.biz. 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Russian Olympic Committee accepts members from annexed Ukrainian territories". 5 October 2023.
- ^ "IOC Executive Board suspends Russian Olympic Committee with immediate effect". Olympics.com. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "Russian Olympic Committee suspended by IOC". 12 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Suspended ROC compared annexed territories' recognition to Crimea, Bach reveals". 13 October 2023.
- ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/03/19/russian-athletes-paris-olympics/
- ^ https://olympics.com/ioc/news/strict-eligibility-conditions-in-place-as-ioc-eb-approves-individual-neutral-athletes-ains-for-the-olympic-games-paris-2024
- ^ https://mms.gov.ua/news/vidkrytyi-lyst-ukrainskykh-atletiv
- ^ "Poland proposes dissident Russian and Belarusians could compete at Paris 2024". 10 February 2023.
- ^ "IOC must decide over Ukraine and Russia at Paris 2024, but they cannot have both". 26 January 2023.
- ^ Perelman, Rich (18 December 2023). "TSX REPORT: Russia says it will not fund any "neutral" athletes".
- ^ Picazo, Raul Daffunchio (24 February 2024). "French lawmakers call on Olympic committee to sanction Israel". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Road cycling at París 2024: Quota distribution for next Olympic Games decided following publication of UCI World Ranking by Nations". International Olympic Committee. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "World Trampoline Championships 2023: Bryony Page and Yan Langyu secure second world titles - Results". International Olympic Committee. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Paris 2024 – Swimming Qualification". World Aquatics. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "Five more athletes qualified for Paris 2024 Taekwondo tournament". Inside the Games. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Freestyle Wrestling: 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualified Nations". United World Wrestling. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ "1st Phase - 2023 Senior World Championships - Belgrade (SRB)" (PDF). United World Wrestling. Retrieved 11 October 2023.