Current:Home > reviewsWhy is Russia banned from Paris Olympics? Can Russian athletes compete? -CapitalWay
Why is Russia banned from Paris Olympics? Can Russian athletes compete?
View
Date:2025-04-25 23:24:59
Nearly 200 countries will represented at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but Russia will not be one of them.
Russian athletes will not be allowed to compete under their country's flag or anthem this summer following the country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, marking the fourth consecutive Olympics that Russia will compete under another delegation at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
Instead, eligible Russian competitors will participate as Individual Neutral Athlete, or AINs for short.
"The Olympic Movement is united in its sense of fairness not to punish athletes for the decisions of their government if they are not actively participating in them," the International Olympic Committee said in February 2022. "We are committed to fair competitions for everybody without any discrimination."
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel
Meet Team USA: See which athletes made the U.S. Olympic team and where they are from
AINs won't be allowed to take part in the parade of nations at the opening ceremony along the Seine River "since they are individual athletes," the IOC announced in March, and any medals won by AINs won't be included in the official medal count of nations.
Why is Russia banned from Olympics? What are AINs? Here's what we know:
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Why is Russia banned from Olympics?
The IOC banned Russia from competition for invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, a "blatant violation" of the Olympic Truce, which begins seven days before the start of the Olympics and ends seven days after the conclusion of the Paralympics to ensure safe passage for all athletes. (The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing started Feb. 4 and the Paralympics ran through March 13.) Belarus faced the same penalty for its support of Russia.
The sanctions, which were placed against Russia and Belarus in February 2022, were confirmed by the Olympic Summit in December 2022 and remain in place today.
Russians competed under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics while serving a two-year suspension for a state-sponsored doping program. But the ROC was suspended in October for breaching the Olympic Charter by violating "the territorial integrity of the (National Olympic Committee) of Ukraine."
Can Russians compete at the 2024 Olympics?
Yes and no. Although teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport are not allowed to compete, Russian and Belarusian competitors can participate in individual sports as neutral athletes if they meet "strict eligibility conditions," the IOC announced in December.
In order to be cleared to compete as an Individual Neutral Athlete, competitors cannot support the war or have been contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military, in addition to meeting all anti-doping requirements. The Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel, which was formed by the IOC in March, determined each athlete's eligibility.
What will Russians be called at the 2024 Olympics?
Individually cleared athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, or AINs, an acronym for the French translation, Athlètes Individuels Neutres.
You will not see Russia's flag or hear the country's national anthem during the Olympics. "No flag, anthem, colours 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," according to the IOC. Instead, AINs will compete under a teal flag inscribed with its acronym and an anthem with no lyrics will be used at medal ceremonies.
How many Individual Neutral Athletes will compete at the 2024 Olympics?
As of July 9, 36 individual Russian athletes have been invited to participate at the 2024 Olympics in Paris across seven sports, including cycling, gymnastics, wrestling, tennis, canoe, judo and swimming. Only 16 of those Russian athletes have accepted the invitation to compete as an AINs. In comparison, the Russian delegation sent 335 athletes to Tokyo in 2021, while Belarus sent 104.
veryGood! (2472)
Related
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- The Hollywood x Sugarfina Limited-Edition Candy Collection Will Inspire You To Take a Bite Out of Summer
- Judge to decide in April whether to delay prison for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes
- Americans snap up AC units, fans as summer temperatures soar higher than ever
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- After It Narrowed the EPA’s Authority, Talks of Expanding the Supreme Court Garner New Support
- RMS Titanic Inc. holds virtual memorial for expert who died in sub implosion
- After Fukushima, a Fundamental Renewable Energy Shift in Japan Never Happened. Could Global Climate Concerns Bring it Today?
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Concerns Linger Over a Secretive Texas Company That Owns the Largest Share of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline
Ranking
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Is the Amazon Approaching a Tipping Point? A New Study Shows the Rainforest Growing Less Resilient
- Ford recalls 1.5 million vehicles over problems with brake hoses and windshield wipers
- The Fed raises interest rates again despite the stress hitting the banking system
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- UNEP Chief Inger Andersen Says it’s Easy to Forget all the Environmental Progress Made Over the Past 50 Years. Climate Change Is Another Matter
- Starbucks accidentally sends your order is ready alerts to app users
- Wind Energy Is a Big Business in Indiana, Leading to Awkward Alliances
Recommendation
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
As Lake Powell Hits Landmark Low, Arizona Looks to a $1 Billion Investment and Mexican Seawater to Slake its Thirst
Wife of Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann files for divorce as woman shares eerie encounter with him
Shoppers Praise This Tarte Sculpting Wand for “Taking 10 Years Off” Their Face and It’s 55% Off Right Now
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Penalty pain: Players converted just 4 of the first 8 penalty kicks at the Women’s World Cup
Bills RB Nyheim Hines will miss the season after being hit by a jet ski, AP source says
Maine aims to restore 19th century tribal obligations to its constitution. Voters will make the call