AIN doesn't represent any country at all. It's the French acronym for Athlètes Individuels Neutres, or Individual Neutral Athletes, and you'll see it everywhere during the 2026 Winter Olympics happening right now in Milan, Italy.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, the countries of Russia and Belarus were banned from the Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for violating the Olympic truce. But the IOC didn't want to completely bar talented athletes from competing. The result? A special status for carefully vetted individuals. At the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, there are 20 athletes competing under the designation—13 are Russian and seven are Belarusian.
AIN athletes are not allowed to represent their country or wear their flag, and if they earn a medal, their national anthem will not be played. Instead, athletes compete under AIN, which has its own teal-colored flag and anthem that is a melody without lyrics. They can't compete in team sports either, which is why you won't see any Russian hockey players or curlers here. Adeliya Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, both medal contenders, are Russian athletes participating in figure skating under the AIN designation. Figure skaters from all nations are facing tough competition at these Games, and these AIN skaters are no exception.
Not every Russian or Belarusian athlete gets to compete as AIN. Athletes must hold a passport from Russia or Belarus, cannot have expressed support for the war in Ukraine, and cannot have any affiliation with the Russian or Belarusian military, and must qualify for their event through standard qualification pathways. The IOC also reviews athletes' social media activity. It's a thorough vetting process designed to keep politics out of sport while still letting clean athletes compete. So far at these Winter Games, no AIN athlete has yet won a medal with just under a week left in the competition.