July 30, 2024

(Not) Russian Olympians Arrive in Paris


(Not) Russian Olympians Arrive in Paris
Olympic rings hang at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Own work, Wikimedia Commons.

On July 26, the Paris Olympics kicked off, but Russian flags were nowhere to be found. However, fifteen athletes from Russia arrived in the French capital to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)A Meduza report found that nearly 60 sportsmen competing in the 2024 games representing different countries once competed for Russia.

In 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) disqualified Russia from the games in response to its war on Ukraine. In 2023, the Russian Deputy Vice Minister of Sports Sergey Morozov said that the number of athletes that transferred to other teams "exceeded one hundred."

Russia allowed most athletes to compete for almost any other country. The biggest scandal occurred after fencers Sergey and Violetta Vida attempted to switch to the U.S. team after making anti-war remarks. Both athletes were placed on wanted lists in Russia for abandoning military units. As a result, they were disqualified from competing altogether.

Russians have transferred to 16 countries since 2022. Uzbekistan and Serbia have incorporated the highest number of Russian athletes, with four joining each team. Bahrain, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, and France have each added two Russians to their Olympic cohorts. Twelve sports lost players, with wrestling and judo experiencing the most transfers. Among these athletes is gold-medal rower Anna Prakaten, who initially represented Belarus, then Russia, and is now competing for Uzbekistan.

Russian athletes who have decided to play as AIN include known figures such as tennis players Daniil Medvedev, Yelena Vesnina, and Mirra Andreeva. But many athletes simply withdrew this year, and Russian sports officials have also pressured its teams not to compete in the Paris games. The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Podznyakov, called neutral-status tennis players "a team of foreign agents."

You Might Also Like

A Safe Bet?
  • July 28, 2024

A Safe Bet?

New laws in Russia crack down on gambling.
Fulbright Foreign Agents?
  • June 20, 2024

Fulbright Foreign Agents?

Now that Fulbright has been declared an "undesirable organization," what will happen with its current and former Russian researchers?
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955