Neutral flag. Who performed under the Olympic symbols and why

On December 9, WADA stripped Russia of its right to participate in international competitions for four years and banned it from hosting them. This decision will affect not only the athletes, but also the fans who support the athletes. At the moment it is not known whether Russians will even have the opportunity to go to major tournaments. We tell you what other countries have had to compete at the Olympics without national symbols.

Olympic Games 1980 in Moscow

The 22nd Summer Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 were boycotted by a total of 68 countries, including the United States, Germany and Canada. The protest was initiated by American President Jimmy Carter. The reason for the conflict was the actions of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. However, some countries, although supporting the boycott, gave their athletes the right to decide whether to compete at the Olympics-80 or not. Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Andorra, San Marino, France, Switzerland and Denmark took this position.

The winner in judo was Italian Ezio Gamba, who has been the head coach of the Russian national team in this sport since 2008. Also on the podium in 1980 stepped British runner Sebastian Coe – the current president of the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Winter and Summer Olympics in 1992

The 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, brought the former Soviet team to the 1992 Winter Olympics, which was officially named the United Team. The collapse of the Soviet Union did not prevent the athletes from competing: they won nine gold medals in the overall standings, taking second place. The national team included athletes from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. When they were awarded, the Olympic flag was raised and the Olympic anthem was played.

That same year at the Barcelona Olympics, due to UN sanctions against Yugoslavia, athletes were not allowed to participate in team sports, but agreed to allow individual athletes as independent Olympic competitors. A total of 58 individuals in 13 sports competed under the Olympic flag. Athletes from former Soviet republics also took part in the Summer Games. However, this time the unified team included 12 countries. It won 45 gold medals and took first place. The main difference between the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics is that at the latter the flag of his country was raised for each participant for victories in individual competitions under the national anthem.

Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi

Initially, at the XXII Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi, athletes from India competed under the Olympic flag and at the end under the national flag. The reason was that the IOC revoked the recognition of the Indian Olympic Association in December 2012. The election of the main body was based on the country’s government’s sporting code, a violation of the IOC’s demand for autonomy of the Olympic Games. However, during the competition, the committee withdrew the disqualification application and India’s flag was officially hoisted at the 2014 Olympic Games on February 16.

Summer Games in Brazil

At the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil, a team of refugees from South Sudan, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia competed under the Olympic flag. A total of ten athletes participated, but none of them performed well.

Nine athletes from Kuwait also competed as a neutral team in Rio de Janeiro in shooting, swimming and fencing. Kuwait’s National Olympic Committee was disbanded due to interference by state authorities in the affairs of sports federations. Fahid al-Dayhani, a Kuwaiti athlete, won the gold medal in the double trap discipline, while Abdullah al-Rashidi placed third in the skeet discipline.