For the second consecutive Olympic Games, the Russian flag will remain absent from the competition arena. As the approach, opening on Friday, thirteen Russian athletes will participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs), alongside seven from Belarus. This decision, rooted in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, underscores a continuing international effort to isolate Russia and its allies through sporting sanctions.
The AIN designation mirrors the approach taken for the Games, effectively barring both Russia and Belarus from official team representation. Neither nation’s flag will be flown and should any AIN athlete achieve a podium finish, their national anthem will not be played – a symbolic gesture intended to distance the Games from the political realities of the war. A new round of peace talks is scheduled for this week, though previous U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceasefire have so far yielded no breakthroughs.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s decision follows Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in , just days after the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympics, where the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) competed. Belarus’s significant support for Russia in the conflict prompted the IOC to extend the same punitive measures to Minsk. The IOC’s Individual Neutral Athlete Eligibility Review Panel holds the ultimate authority in determining which athletes are permitted to compete.
Acceptance as an AIN requires athletes to sign a Conditions of Participation form, committing to uphold the Olympic Charter and its stated “peace mission.” Critically, athletes must also demonstrate they have no active connection to, or support for, the war in Ukraine. This vetting process aims to navigate the complex ethical considerations of allowing athletes to compete while their nations are engaged in international conflict.
Russia has historically been a dominant force in the Winter Olympics, consistently ranking among the top medal-winning nations. At the Beijing Games, the ROC secured the second-highest total medal count. This year, however, the thirteen Russian AINs will be limited to participation in just seven events: Alpine skiing (two athletes), cross-country skiing (two), figure skating (two), luge (two), short track (two), ski mountaineering (one), and speed skating (two). This represents a significant reduction in scope compared to previous Russian Olympic teams.
The current situation is not without precedent. Russian athletes have competed under various designations in recent years, a consequence of repeated scandals and geopolitical shifts. The Rio de Janeiro Games marked the last time Russia was permitted to compete under its own name and flag. That Games was followed by revelations of a state-sponsored doping program, leading to a ban imposed by the IOC beginning in .
At the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Russian athletes who passed stringent drug tests competed as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.” The following year, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) imposed a four-year ban on Russia from all international sporting competitions. While Russia appealed and the ban was reduced to two years, it would have been in effect for the Beijing Games. However, the invasion of Ukraine in prompted a further escalation of sanctions, culminating in the ban of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) for the Games. The duration of this ban remains indefinite, casting uncertainty over Russia’s participation in the Los Angeles Olympics.
Within the reduced Russian contingent, figure skating, traditionally a strong suit for the nation, will be represented by only two athletes: Petr Gumennik and Adeliia Petrosian. According to reports, they are considered the most likely of the AINs to secure a medal. Their participation, however, underscores the broader impact of the sanctions on Russia’s Olympic ambitions.
The doping scandal that plagued Russian sport in the years leading up to the Ukraine conflict further complicates the situation. The revelations in exposed a widespread, systematic doping program orchestrated by the Russian state. This led to the disqualification of athletes and the stripping of medals, including those won by Kamila Valieva, the teenage figure skating sensation at the Beijing Games. Despite Valieva’s doping violation, the Russian team initially secured a bronze medal, which was later stripped following her four-year suspension from competition, handed down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the Olympics is not merely a sporting matter. It reflects a broader geopolitical strategy aimed at isolating Russia and holding it accountable for its actions in Ukraine. The decision underscores the increasing intersection of sports and politics, and the challenges faced by international organizations in navigating complex ethical and political dilemmas. The long-term consequences of these sanctions on the Olympic Movement, and on the future of Russian and Belarusian participation, remain to be seen.
