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

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

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