The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina have officially kicked off, but there’s a conspicuous absence that’s impossible to ignore: Russia and Belarus are missing from the Parade of Nations, their flags nowhere to be seen. Yet, eagle-eyed viewers will notice the acronym “AIN” popping up beside a handful of athletes’ names on leaderboards and score sheets. What’s going on, and who are these Individual Neutral Athletes making headlines in Italy?
Let’s rewind. Russia’s last official participation as a country in the Olympic Games was at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, a series of scandals and geopolitical conflicts have kept the nation—and its close ally Belarus—on the sidelines. The story is as tangled as a slalom course, with layers of controversy, legal battles, and shifting designations stretching back more than a decade.
The most recent chapter began in October 2023, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed a sweeping ban on Russian and Belarusian teams. The trigger? Not just the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but also the Russian Olympic Committee’s move to take over sporting organizations in Ukrainian territories like Donetsk, Kherson, and Luhansk—a direct violation of the Olympic Charter’s rules on national integrity. Belarus was banned for its support of Russia’s actions. As a result, both countries were barred from competing under their names, flags, or colors at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The ban extended to all team sports, meaning no Russian or Belarusian squads in ice hockey, curling, or figure skating team events.
But the Olympics, ever a stage for personal triumph, have left a narrow path open for some athletes. Enter the Individual Neutral Athletes, or AIN. This designation allows carefully vetted Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete, but only as individuals, and only after passing a gauntlet of eligibility checks. The IOC’s panel scrutinizes everything from an athlete’s social media activity to their affiliations, making sure no competitor has actively supported the war in Ukraine or violated the Olympic Charter’s peace mission.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe summed up the sentiment in 2022: “The unprecedented sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus by countries and industries all over the world appear to be the only peaceful way to disrupt and disable Russia’s current intentions and restore peace. The death and destruction we have seen in Ukraine over the past year, including the deaths of some 185 athletes, have only hardened my resolve on this matter.” According to Coe, “Russian and Belarusian athletes, many of whom have military affiliations, should not be beneficiaries of these actions.”
This isn’t the first time Russian athletes have competed under a different banner. At the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, and the 2024 Summer Olympics, they appeared as Olympic Athletes from Russia or the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) following a massive state-sponsored doping scandal. That controversy, which began around the London 2012 Games and continued through Sochi 2014, led to a four-year ban starting in 2021. In Beijing 2022, Russian athletes under the ROC moniker won 32 medals—including five golds—while wearing uniforms stripped of national symbols.
For Milan 2026, the rules are stricter still. The AIN designation means no Russian or Belarusian flags, no national anthems, and not even the neutral Olympic flag or anthem. Instead, a special AIN emblem—circular and devoid of any national reference—flies, and a wordless instrumental anthem, commissioned by the IOC, plays for any gold medalist. Notably, AIN athletes were excluded from the opening ceremony on February 6, following the precedent set in Paris 2024.
So, who are these athletes competing under the AIN banner? This year, the list is short but diverse. There are 13 Russian and 7 Belarusian competitors, each representing themselves in individual events. For Russia, the lineup includes:
- Yulia Pleshkova and Simon Efimov in Alpine skiing
- Savelii Korostelev and Daria Nepryaeva in cross-country skiing
- Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik in figure skating
- Daria Olesik and Pavel Repilov in luge
- Ivan Posashkov and Alena Krylova in short track speed skating
- Nikita Filippov in ski mountaineering
- Kseniia Korzhova and Anastasiia Semenova in speed skating
Belarus is represented by athletes like Maria Shkanova (Alpine skiing), Anastasiya Andryianava, Anna Derugo, and Hanna Huskova (freestyle skiing), and Maryna Zuyeva (speed skating). Each athlete’s eligibility was reviewed by their sport’s governing body—FIS for skiing, ISU for skating, FIL for luge—and then by an IOC-appointed panel. Every competitor had to sign a Conditions of Participation form, pledging to respect the Olympic Charter and the “peace mission of the Olympic Movement.”
The selection process hasn’t been without controversy. A BBC investigation suggested that four Russian athletes cleared to compete might have breached IOC terms, either through military affiliations or by supporting pro-war material online. While the IOC insists on rigorous vetting, critics argue that enforcement is inconsistent and that some athletes may have slipped through the cracks.
Legal wrangling has also shaped the AIN roster. The International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Luge Federation (FIL) had banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes from their events since February 2022. But Russia challenged these bans before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which overturned them in December 2025. As a result, a handful of Russian and Belarusian skiers and lugers were allowed to compete in Milan—though still only as individuals, not as part of any team.
For those tuning in, the presence of AIN athletes is a reminder of the complex intersection between sport and politics. Their medals, should they win any, will be awarded in silence—no national anthem, just the neutral melody echoing through the arena. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, AIN athletes took home one gold, three silvers, and a bronze. For Milan, the competition is just heating up, and it remains to be seen whether any of these neutral competitors can break through to the podium.
The future of Russian and Belarusian participation in the Olympics remains uncertain. Some, like FIFA president Gianni Infantino, have called for the ban to be lifted “at least at youth level,” arguing that exclusion breeds resentment. Others, like Ukraine’s sports minister Matvii Bidnyi, strongly oppose any softening of the stance, citing the ongoing violence and loss of life. IOC president Kirsty Coventry has reiterated that, for now, the October 2023 decision stands, and “the neutral athletes’ status, as per Paris, has not been spoken about in the last couple of weeks.”
With the Games underway, the spotlight is firmly on the athletes—those who made it through the maze of politics and eligibility, and those who must watch from afar. The Olympic spirit endures, but in Milan and Cortina, it’s clear that the world of sport is still grappling with the realities of a divided globe. As the competitions unfold, all eyes will be on the AIN athletes, their performances, and the ongoing debate about the intersection of sport, politics, and peace.