There is a brand new category for the Paris Olympics with athletes now competing under the title 'AIN', but why is this the case?
One of the most beautiful aspects of the Olympics is seeing athletes from every corner of the globe fight for their flag and bring home the gold medal.
However, some athletes have been forced or chosen to compete as a neutral under the Olympic flag, but that will no longer be the case in Paris due to the introduction of the AIN.
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Probably the biggest name to be affected by this change is tennis world number five, Daniil Medvedev, who is representing AIN.
AIN stands for AthlĂštes Individuals Neutres, which translates to Individual Neutral Athletes in English. This group is used for approved Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Unlike previous neutral athletes, AIN athletes are banned from using the neutral Olympic flag and anthem. Instead, they will compete under a flag featuring a circular AIN emblem and will be represented by a one-off anthem assigned by the IOC if medals are won.
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AIN athletes must be approved by each sport's international federation, so even if an athlete meets the qualification criteria, the sport has the final stay and could deny them a spot.
The AIN group were also not allowed to participate in the opening ceremony along the Seine last Friday, and since AIN is not considered a team, any medals won by AIN athletes will not be grouped together on the overall medal table.
Following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the IOC banned Russia and Belarus, just after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics.
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The IOC then later allowed athletes from these countries to compete as neutrals under the condition that they did not support the war and did not display any national colors, names, flags, or anthems.
Tom Jenkins