Paris Olympics 2024: What is AIN? Why are Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under "AIN"?

Do you know what it means by AIN in the Olympics? The AIN stands for Athletes Neutres Individuels in French, meaning Individual Neutral Athletes in English. Athletes from Russia and Belarus will participate in the Paris Olympics as AIN or Individual Neutral Athletes. Russian athletes have been barred from the Olympics since 2017, so, they will participate in the Olympics 2024 as individual neutral athletes. They will be joined by their Belarusian counterparts. Russia and Belarus have been banned from participating in the Paris Olympics for their involvement in ongoing Russia- Ukraine War, reports 'CBS News'.

Russian Team's doping scandal

In what may be termed embarrassment for the entire country,
the entire Russian track and field team was suspended in November 2015, after an investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency found what it called a "culture of cheating."


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The World Anti-Doping Agency found in 2016 that more than 1,000 individuals were linked to a Russian state-sponsored doping scheme between 2011 and 2014. They were individually identified and banned. Some of them had won medals, including gold medals, in the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia.

Russian athletes participate in ROC

Earlier Russian athletes were allowed to compete under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee after a series of doping scandals. They participated in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 under the ROC flag and the flag of the Russian Federation. The players will have to follow strict guidelines and there will be far less number of events they could participate.

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FAQs

When were Russian athletes barred from participating in the Olympics and why?
Russian athletes have been barred from the Olympics since 2017. They were found to be involved in doping scandals.

How do Russian athletes participate?
Earlier Russian athletes were allowed to compete under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) after a series of doping scandals. They will participate in the Paris Olympics as individual neutral athletes.