The 15 Russian “neutrals” at the Paris Olympics are politically isolated and rarely in the spotlight
PARIS — Rarely on the podium and excluded from the opening ceremony, the 15 Russians in the running Paris Olympic Games have a worrying status as “neutral individual athletes” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Some in the Olympic Village oppose their participation in the Summer Games and Russian opinion is divided.
The Olympic Games in Russia are not broadcast on television and some politicians and media figures have even labelled those who wanted to compete in Paris as traitors.
It’s a complex environment for athletes, some of whom are teenagers, and they are reluctant to talk about politics or war.
“My family is proud of me, that’s all that matters,” said tennis player Diana Shnaider, who is scheduled to play in the women’s doubles final on Sunday.
The 20-year-old former North Carolina State collegiate player said it was “incredible” to be at her first Olympics.
“There are still a lot of people from my country in the stands and they continue to support me. I heard words of encouragement today,” she said after her quarter-final victory on Thursday.
Tennis players like Shnaider and 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev are used to interacting with the media and playing all over the world without a Russian flag. Others seem a little overwhelmed.
Anzhela Bladtceva, a 19-year-old trampolinist, placed fifth in her event on Friday and held a stuffed animal as she spoke to media afterward.
“There are so many emotions, so many people, everyone is so kind, so happy and so helpful,” she said.
Bladtceva said she was spending time in the Olympic Village with a trampolinist friend from Azerbaijan and was not asked about the war. “Nobody asks questions, they ask if it was difficult for us to come here, they only ask positive questions. Nobody says bad things,” she said.
National delegations sailed down the Seine in a flotilla of boats during the opening ceremony, but neutral athletes were not included.
“It’s a pity they didn’t let us in, but what can you do?” said Bladtceva, who was still in Russia for the ceremony. “I didn’t really watch.”
Of the 32 “neutral” athletes present in Paris, 17 represented Belarus and only 15 Russia. This compares to the more than 300 Russians present at the last Summer Games in Tokyo.
The restrictions imposed by the International Olympic Committee excluded Russian athletes who were in the military or who publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine. The IOC also banned Russians from participating in team sports. Athletics also imposed its own blanket ban.
In gymnastics and weightlifting, Russian teams skipped qualifying rounds to protest being forced to compete as neutrals or face screenings, including checks of their social media accounts.
Some athletes even qualified, accepted their IOC invitations, and then took of A few weeks before the start of the Olympics, it is unclear whether they made this decision under pressure from their countries. The IOC lists 10 Russians and one Belarusian who “initially accepted but later declined.”
Wrestler Shamil Mamedov briefly defied the Russian wrestling federation’s decision not to send athletes. The federation later told Russian news agency Tass that Mamedov would not compete in the Olympics due to an old injury.
Not yet, but Shnaider and her 17-year-old doubles partner Mirra Andreeva are assured of at least silver against Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the final on Sunday night.
Neutral athletes of Belarus won gold and silver medals in the men’s and women’s trampoline competitions, respectively, on Friday.
When a neutral athlete wins a gold medal, an “anthem” commissioned by the IOC is played. moving strings and a heavy drum beat, it sounds more like the soundtrack to an inspirational video than a national anthem. Their medals do not count toward the Olympic organizers’ official medal table.
Russian athletes competed at the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo under the name “Russian Olympic Committee” and under less stringent restrictions following a doping scandal.
They were allowed to wear the national colours and music by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky played for the gold medalists.
At least 82 athletes at the Paris Olympics were born in Russia, including neutral athletes, according to statistics from Norwegian broadcaster NRK. There are still more than 60 competing for other nations.
Some have lived outside Russia for years or moved abroad as children. Others have changed sports since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Swimmer Anastasia Kirpichnikova represented the ROC at the Tokyo Olympics. She trained in France for years before joining the national team last year. Kirpichnikova won a silver medal for France in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle behind Katie Ledecky on Wednesday.
The Ukrainian government and Olympic Committee wanted Russian athletes to be excluded from all international sports and opposed the IOC’s efforts to include them as neutral countries. The limited Russian presence is “nothing,” the head of the Ukrainian Olympic delegation said told the Associated Press this week.
Ukraine briefly pursued a policy of boycott of Olympic qualifying competitions which allowed Russians to participate, but abandoned the idea last year because they risked not being represented at the Olympics at all.
Ukrainian activists collected information from Russian athletes’ social media accounts in the months leading up to the Olympics, reporting to the IOC posts they considered to be in support of the war.
Some Ukrainians also view the shifts in allegiance with suspicion. Fencing champion Olga Kharlan said last month that Russian athletes who switched allegiances to join teams in other countries after the invasion “should be more closely monitored.”
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Associated Press journalists Angela Charlton and Tom Nouvian contributed to this report.
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