Paris Olympic Games 2024: Will Russian and Belarusian athletes compete? What country is AIN? Can they win medals?

Have Russian and Belarusian athletes been allowed to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games? Did they take part in the opening ceremony? How many Russian and Belarusian athletes competed at the Games? What have Ukrainians said about Russians competing? We answer all the key questions about Russia and Belarus participating in Paris this summer.

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The Olympics runs from July 26 to August 11, with discovery+ the streaming home of the Games.

There was plenty of debate and controversy over whether Russian athletes should be allowed to compete in international events following the invasion of Ukraine.

So, are they competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer?

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Are Russian athletes competing in Paris?

Not by name, Russian – and Belarusian – athletes are competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which was supported by Belarus, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be banned from competing in international sporting events.

However, in March 2023 the IOC said Russian and Belarusian athletes should be permitted to compete under a neutral flag.

It was then confirmed in December 2023 by the IOC that Russian and Belarusian athletes could take part at the Olympic Games as neutrals.

WHAT COUNTRY IS AIN?

Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing without flags, emblems or anthems of their country, and have been labelled as Individual Neutral Athletes, with the acronym of AIN (Athletes Individuels Neutres, in French).

The AIN compete under a turquoise flag with a circular white emblem marked 'AIN', assigned by the IOC, and have also been assigned an instrumental anthem. They are banned from wearing Russia’s colours of red, white and blue and compete wearing unmarked white kits.

Gleb Syritsa of Team Individual Neutral Athletes competes near the Hotel des Invalides, during the Men's Individual Time Trial on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Pont Alexandre III on July 27, 2024 in Paris, France.

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AIN did not take part in the opening ceremony and although they can win medals, they have not be displayed in the medal table, and the Russian and Belarusian anthems will be barred.

They can also only take part in individual events and not team events.

The IOC established a Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel (AINERP) to evaluate the eligibility of each athlete with a Russian or Belarusian passport to participate in the Games.

Among the required conditions are that “athletes who actively support the war will not be eligible to be entered or to compete” and “athletes and support personnel contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies will not be eligible to be entered or to compete”.

How many Russian athletes are at the Games?

32 athletes are competing as AIN, 17 from Belarus and 15 from Russia, across 10 different sports. Tennis is the sport with the most AIN representation, with seven Russian athletes.

AIN will also feature in canoeing, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling.

There were 330 Russian athletes at the last Olympics in Tokyo and 104 from Belarus.

Individual Neutral Athlete Daniil Medvedev returns to Australia's Rinky Hijikata during their men's singles first round tennis match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen at the Roland-Garros Stadium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on July 27, 2024.

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More athletes were eligible to take part than the 32 who arrived in Paris, but some declined their invitations. "The maximum number, which is unlikely to be reached, would be 55 and 28 respectively,” the IOC told CNN.

Russia has changed its attitude to the Games, which explains the significant drop in numbers. For the first time since 1984, there will be no coverage of the Olympics in either Belarus or Russia, except for commentary critical of the Western world.

Which Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing in Paris?

Russian tennis player and former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev was the most high-profile AIN taking part.

He was knocked out in the third round of the men's singles by Felix Auger-Aliassime.

He partnered Russian teen star Mirra Andreeva in mixed doubles, but they were eliminated in the Round of 16.

Belarus world No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka skipped the Games due to scheduling demands.

Belarussian Ivan Litvinovic, who won gold in the men’s trampoline in Tokyo, retained his title in the French capital.

Yauheni Tsikhantsou, a Russian former weightlifting world champion, took bronze in men's 102kg.

At Tokyo 2020, Russian athletes – competing as the Russian Olympic Committee following the doping scandal in the country – won 20 gold medals.

“In some sports, the number of eligible athletes may be lower than the number of earned quota places,” the IOC has said in a statement.

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The full list of athletes taking part:

3 Russian canoe athletes
2 Belarusian canoe athletes
3 Russian cyclists
1 Belarusian cyclist
1 Russian trampoline athlete
2 Belarusian trampoline athletes
2 Belarusian rowers
2 Belarusian shooting athletes
1 Russian swimmer
3 Belarusian swimmers
1 Belarusian taekwondo athlete
7 Russian tennis players
2 Belarusian weight lifters
2 Belarusian wrestlers

What have Ukrainians said about Russians competing at the Olympics?

Ukraine had threatened to boycott the Olympic Games after the IOC said Russians and Belarusians would be able to compete.

However, Ukraine eased its stance as long as Russian and Belarusians compete as neutral athletes.

The acting sports minister of Ukraine, Matviy Bidnyi, has told his country’s athletes to keep a “cold head” at the Games.

Ukraine are competing at the Olympics using the slogan “will to win”.

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