What country is AIN and why are Russia, Belarus banned from the Olympics?
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 Winter Olympics are almost over, and the Russian and Belarusian flags have been absent. But some athletes from those countries are still at the games.
So, why can't athletes compete for Russia and Belarus and what is AIN?
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Here's what to know:
What country is AIN?
AIN is a French acronym that stands for Individual Neutral Athletes, a label used for athletes with Russian and Belarussian passports, given that both countries are currently banned from the Olympics.
Why is Russia banned from the Winter Olympics 2026?
The current Olympic ban on Russia was issued in October 2023. The country did not participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and is not participating in this year's Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Russia from operating a National Olympic Committee and barred it from receiving funding from the Olympic Movement, a permanent campaign from the Committee to promote peace through education and sports.
The IOC banned Russia from participating because it violated Olympic rules by attempting to include Ukrainian sports organizations as members of the Russian team following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Belarus was banned for supporting Russia's war actions in Ukraine.
At that time the IOC reserved "the right to decide about the participation of individual neutral athletes with a Russian passport in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at the appropriate time."
Some Russian and Belarusian athletes are permitted to compete in individual sports under the AIN designation.
Prior to the current ban, Russia was also banned from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Olympics for state-sponsored illicit doping. Russian athletes competed in those games under the Russian Olympic Committee label. Russia's name, flag an anthem were absent.
Is Ukraine competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
Yes. Ukraine has been competing in the current Winter Olympics edition.
Juan Carlos Castillo is a New Jersey-based trending reporter for the USA Today Network. Find him on Twitter at _JCCastillo.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Why is Russia not in the Olympics? What does AIN mean?