Nations being absent from an Olympic Video games is nothing new with many sidelined because of political causes whereas others have boycotted Video games as a protest.
The Paris Olympics has thrown the difficulty of Russia and the Russian Olympic Committee again into the highlight.
Is Russia banned from the Olympics?
Briefly, sure Russia is banned from competing on the Olympics. The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, saying that the Olympic Truce had been breached and forbidding athletes from each Russia and Belarus from competing on the Paris Video games.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) stays suspended from the IOC after an enchantment to the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was dismissed final yr.
CAS discovered that the IOC govt board’s preliminary choice “didn’t breach the rules of legality, equality, predictability or proportionality”.
The IOC suspended the ROC on October 12 final yr, after the ROC took a unilateral choice on Oct 5 to incorporate as members regional sports activities organisations which have been below the authority of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee. These regional organisations have been inside territories annexed by the Russian navy amid its invasion of Ukraine.
Are Russian (and Belarusian) athletes nonetheless competing in Paris?
Sure, however with caveats.
Firstly, there aren’t any Russian groups on the Olympics in sports activities like handball, basketball and water polo. There are additionally no Russian multi-person groups in occasions such because the athletics relays, biking’s group pursuit, or group dressage competitions.
Nonetheless, the choice by CAS to uphold the ROC’s suspension doesn’t have an effect on particular person Russian athletes’ capability to compete as neutrals on the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Video games, supplied they meet eligibility standards imposed by the IOC.
A pathway has been created that provides sports activities particular person jurisdiction over whether or not Russian athletes could compete as neutrals, topic to situations reminiscent of them having no direct hyperlink to the navy and never being lively supporters of the warfare.
Athletics, which is the most important Olympic sport, has opted to impose an outright ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes because the invasion began in Feb 2022, though different sports activities reminiscent of swimming have accepted their participation as neutrals.
The inclusion of impartial athletes stays a contentious concern and Ukraine has condemned the choice as “shameful”. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has beforehand stated it was “apparent that any impartial flag of Russian athletes is stained with blood”.
Does AIN seem on the medal desk?
No. Theoretically, AIN athletes will be from any nation and the athletes competing below this banner are due to this fact not ranked alongside different nations on the medal desk. There may be due to this fact no illustration of Russia on the medals desk in any method in any respect, which is sort of the demotion for a nation that may have had ambitions to rival the US and China on the prime of that rating.
Have Russia been banned earlier than?
Sure, however beforehand the nation was banned for widespread doping violations. Paris is the fifth straight Olympics – summer season and winter – the place Russia and its athletes have confronted calls to be banned, because the steroid-tainted Video games in Sochi in 2014.
For the 2018 Winter Olympics, particular person Russian athletes have been allowed to compete neutrally below the Olympic Flag and the anthem as an ‘Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR)’, with the ROC suspended by the IOC.
The ROC was reinstated previous to 2020 however there have been nonetheless sanctions, and particular person Russian athletes for each the 2020 Summer season Video games and 2022 Winter Video games competed below the flag of the ‘Russian Olympic Committee’ and acronym ‘ROC’.
There have been 335 members in Tokyo below the title of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). These athletes received 71 medals – greater than Workforce GB and solely behind america and China.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia and Belarus have been banned by the IOC and in March 2023, the AIN title was launched for Russian and Belarusian athletes.
What does AIN imply?
AIN stands for Athlète Individuel Neutre, the French title for particular person impartial athlete with AIN each the acronym and IOC nation code. The delegation is banned from utilizing the impartial Olympic flag or anthem. They’re additionally banned from parading within the opening ceremony.
Will the Russian and Belarus flag be used on the Olympics?
The Russian and Belarus flags should not getting used on the Olympics. Impartial athletes compete solely in particular person sports activities this summer season with out emblems, flags or nationwide anthems.
The AIN flag depicts a round AIN emblem in white on a teal background.
So what anthem might be performed if athletes from Russia or Belarus win gold?
The IOC has additionally produced an impartial anthem, with no lyrics, to be performed for any Russian or Belarusian gold medal winners in France this summer season.
What number of Russian athletes are anticipated to compete in Paris?
Far fewer Russian athletes might be in Paris this summer season than for the earlier Video games in Tokyo. A complete of simply 15 Russians are anticipated to compete below a impartial flag as a result of most Russian athletes have both refused to compete or declined to take up their place.
What about Belarus?
The variety of Belarus athletes on the Paris 2024 Olympics is anticipated to be round 18.
