Olympic weightlifting Siuzanna Valodzka performing a snatch during the women's 71 kg weightlifting event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Holding a Belarusian passport, she competed as an Individual Neutral Athlete. (more) Is Russia Participating in the Olympics? Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 22, 2026 •History Given their continued involvement as aggressors in the Russia-Ukraine War, neither Russia nor Belarus will be represented as a nation at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. However, approved athletes from those countries will be permitted to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (referred to as AIN, from the French athlètes individuels neutres), an official designation that serves to distance the athlete from their country of origin. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,...

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