As the 2024 Olympics kick off in Paris, athletes from two countries will compete without a national title, flag or anthem  —  instead, they’ll be referred to as “AIN.”

Athletes from Russia, which has been banned from competing in the Olympics as a country since 2017 for the fourth time in a row, will compete as what’s known as individual neutral athletes, or “AIN” from the French translation. They will be joined by athletes from Belarus, which is banned as a country for the first time. The two nations are banned over involvement in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Previously, Russian athletes were permitted to compete under the Russian Olympic Committee, or “ROC,” which last made its appearance during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They were allowed to compete under the “ROC” after a series of scandals curtailed their access to the Games, but that has changed for the Paris Games. 

What do ROC and AIN stand for?

“ROC” stands for “Russian Olympic Committee.” As Russia has faced suspensions from Olympic competitions first because of a series of doping scandals and then over its invasion of Ukraine, Russian athletes have competed under various alternatives to their country’s name. 

At the last Summer Olympics, which were held in Tokyo, Russian athletes competed under “ROC” rather than under the Russian flag.

At the Paris Olympics, Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” referred to as AIN from the French term, Athlètes Individuels Neutres. There will be far fewer competitors from the two nations than in past Games, and all had to be invited and adhere to strict guidelines.

Why is Russia banned from the Olympics?

Olympic athletes from Russia have faced a series of scandals and challenges in recent years. While previous bans and suspensions had to do with doping scandals, Russia was most recently suspended by the International Olympic Committee for its invasion of Ukraine. 

The scandal of Russian athletes taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs burst into public view in 2015 after a series of leaks and investigations. In November 2015, the entire Russian track and field team was suspended after an investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency found what it called a “culture of cheating.”

A 2016 report from the World Anti-Doping Agency identified more than 1,000 individuals linked to a Russian state-sponsored doping scheme between 2011 and 2014. Some of the individual athletes had won medals — including gold medals — in the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia. 

The report referred to the doping scheme as an “institutional conspiracy” involving Russia’s secret service.

The International Olympic Committee banned Russia in 2017 because of the scheme, but it gave individual athletes the chance to apply for admission to compete as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”

While 168 Russians passed the vetting process to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, many others were banned. Dozens filed appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and Russia’s desperate attempt to get 45 banned athletes into Pyeongchang failed just hours before the opening ceremony. 

In 2019, the World Doping Agency voted to ban Russia from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games over manipulated doping data. The ban not only ruled Russia out of the following Olympic cycle but also barred Russian government officials from attending major events. Russia also lost the right to host or even bid for tournaments.

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking new controversies about the country’s role in peaceful international competition. 

The IOC’s Executive Board was unequivocal in its condemnation of the invasion, which it called a “blatant violation” of the Olympic Truce and the Olympic Charter. 

On the one hand, the IOC said, protective measures had to be taken against inviting athletes from national committees whose governments were deciding who could or could not participate in competitions, which compromised the political neutrality of athletes. On the other, the IOC said it was determined not to discriminate against athletes on the basis of their passports, which would go against the IOC’s “mission to unify the entire world in peaceful competition.” 

The IOC solved this “grave dilemma” by deciding athletes from Russia and Belarus could participate as individuals.

This also meant that no international sports events would be organized in Russia or Belarus; no flag, anthems or other national symbols would be displayed at international sports events; and no government or state officials would be invited to sports events. 

“The Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts,” the IOC said in 2023. “Nor can they address all the political and social challenges in our world. This is the realm of politics. But the Olympic Games can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another.”

In 2023, nearly 20 months into its war with Ukraine, the IOC suspended Russia with immediate effect for violating the Olympic Charter by incorporating sports councils in four regions in eastern Ukraine. 

Russia appealed the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, but it lost the case in February this year, AP reported. The suspension meant the ROC couldn’t receive funding from the IOC, though it didn’t affect the Russian athletes competing in the games as neutral athletes.

On its website, the IOC says that it reserves the right to decide whether athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports participate.

What’s different about competing as AIN athletes?

According to IOC guidelines, “Qualified athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport will be entered as, and compete as, Individual Neutral Athletes.” Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport will not be permitted to compete in the Paris Olympics unless they are all competing as individuals. 

And, any individual athletes who actively support the war or who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete, according to the IOC, and they must adhere to doping standards.

Under the terms of the suspension, no athlete or sports official from either Russia or Belarus will be allowed to participate in the Olympics under the name of Russia or Belarus. In addition, no national flags, colors, anthems or “other national symbols whatsoever” may be displayed, and no government or state officials may be accredited for any of the sporting events. And, since they are competing as individuals and not as representatives of their nations, they cannot participate in the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremonies.

According to the IOC, individual athletes have to be invited by the IOC and only a very limited number will qualify through the existing systems. 

As of July 20, the IOC said there were 15 individual athletes from Russia and 18 from Belarus among the thousands of athletes who have qualified from around the world. Only about 60 athletes from the two nations had been invited under the new, strict standards. 

“The distinction between States and individuals is of paramount importance,” Alexandra Xanthaki, UN special rapporteur for cultural rights, said in May 2023. “Human rights were established and adopted by all nations to protect individuals and groups against the abuse of power from States and against the tyranny of majorities. Punishing individuals solely based on their nationality for the heinous acts of leaders over which they have no control, would undermine this distinction. But banning States from sports events may be a legitimate measure.”

When will Russia be allowed to participate in the Olympics again?

The sanctions against Russia reinforced at the Olympic Summit in December 2022 “remain firmly in place,” the IOC said, giving no indications they would be lifted anytime soon.