15 Russian competing in Paris Olympic games rarely appear on the podium and were not allowed to participate in the opening ceremony due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Among the athletes from Russia competing at the Olympics, there are many who disapproved of them joining the Summer Games, even if people’s views differ. The Russian Olympics are not shown in Russia on TV, and some politicians as well as media personalities have called those who agreed to go to Paris traitors. The environment around such young athletes can be very difficult, considering that they cannot even talk about politics or war.“My family is proud of me, that is enough,” Shnaider said.
The former college player for North Carolina State who turned 20 years old stated that it was “incredible” to be at her first Olympics. Still many people from my country are present here with me…some encouraging words I heard today,” she said after winning Thursday quarterfinals.
Daniil Medvedev, winner of the 2021 US Open, like tennis players such as Shnaider are accustomed to traveling around the world without carrying any Russian flag involving media. For others, it looks like too much. On Friday night after taking fifth place in her event and holding a stuffed animal while talking with reporters Anzhela Bladtceva, a 19-year-old trampolinist noted: ‘There are so many emotions; there are so many people, everyone is so kind and happy – seems helpful.’
During opening ceremonies national delegations traveled down Seine River by boat while neutral athletes were not allowed to participate. “They didn’t let us do that but what can you do?” Bladtceva added sadly. Of those neutral athletes in Paris 32 were previously representing Belarus (17) and only (15) Russia instead having been more than three hundred Russians at Tokyo Summer Games (last time). The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Russian athletes who are in the military or publicly supported the Ukraine invasion. The IOC also prohibited Russians from participating in team sports; track and field implemented its own blanket ban.
Forced to compete as neutrals or pass through vetting including their social media being checked, Russia’s teams in gymnastics and weightlifting skipped qualifying events. Even some of them had qualified, received their invitations from the IOC, but withdrew a few weeks before Olympics started. It was not clear if it was done under duress.
When a neutral athlete wins gold, an “anthem” commissioned by the IOC plays: More like the soundtrack to an inspirational video. On the official table of Olympic medals they don’t feature on it. Out of more than 82 participants who were born in Russia at the Paris Olympics there are neutral athletes among them too leaving over 60 competing for other nations. Several have not lived in Russia for years or even since childhoods ended while others switched allegiance following Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.
Such changes of allegiance arouse suspicion among some Ukrainians, too. Last month fencing champion Olga Kharlan said that Russian athletes should be verified if they changed country after invasion.
