Authorised Neutral Athletes

Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) and Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) are special ways athletes can take part in big international sports events without representing their own countries. This is different from the usual way, where athletes wear their country's flag and team.

This idea started in 2017 in track and field sports. It happened because of a big problem with unfair practices in Russia that was found in 2014. Because of this, many people were worried about fairness in sports.

Then, in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. This made many sports groups very concerned about safety. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee suggested that athletes from Russia and Belarus not join teams from their countries for a while. But they said that individual athletes could still compete, but only as neutral athletes.

When athletes compete this way, they use a plain white flag with the letters “ANA” on it, showing that they are not representing a country. As of August 2022, only some athletes from Russia and Belarus were competing under this neutral flag in certain sports.

Russian doping scandal and athletics

Main article: Doping in Russia

The idea of letting athletes compete without representing their country started in 2016. This happened after an investigation showed that some people in Russia were not following the rules about fair competition. A Russian athlete asked to compete without her country's flag in the 2016 Olympic Games, but this was not allowed at the time.

Later, a Russian athlete who lived in the United States asked to compete without her country's flag, and this was allowed. In 2017, nineteen Russian athletes were allowed to compete without their country's flag at a big running event in London 2017. More athletes competed this way in events in 2018 and 2019.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Main article: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Because of the conflict in Ukraine, many sports groups stopped Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing. In tennis, players from these countries could still play but not as part of their countries.

In motorsport, Russian drivers began racing under a neutral flag. In fencing, a Russian athlete competed as a neutral athlete against a Ukrainian athlete. The Ukrainian athlete offered a respectful salute instead of a handshake, which led to some discussion but was later accepted.