Authorised Neutral Athletes

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Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) and Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) are a capacity under which athletes can compete at international sporting competitions without representing their nations, as is standard convention under the Olympic Charter. As of August 2022, only Russian and Belarusian athletes of some sports have competed or are competing within the ANA capacity. Originally introduced in athletics in 2017 following the Russian doping scandal which first came to light in December 2014, the term was introduced to other sports following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Quoting a breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian government in which Belarus was complicit, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended suspending all teams, officials and competitors from Russia and Belarus from being involved in sport due to security concerns, while allowing individuals to compete in a neutral capacity. The ANA designation uses a plain white flag with the block capital...

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