Olympic premiere

Belarusian wins 1st medal for neutral athletes!

Ivan Litvinovich(Bild: Associated Press)

Belarusian trampoline gymnast Ivan Litvinovich has won the first gold medal for the controversial group of neutral individual athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris!

The 2021 Olympic champion repeated his success from Tokyo. Instead of the national anthem, a piece of music was played for the winner, which was announced as the anthem for the neutral athletes. Earlier, his compatriot Vijaleta Bardsilouskaya had secured silver, also on the trampoline, and the two Russian tennis players Mirra Andreyeva and Diana Schnaider had secured the first medals for the individual athletes.

Vyaleta Bardsilouskaya(Bild: Associated Press)

Vijaleta Bardsilouskaya(Bild: Associated Press)

Vijaleta Bardsilouskaya(Bild: Associated Press)

Athletes from Belarus and Russia are only allowed to compete in Paris as neutral individual athletes under the AIN designation. The reason for this is Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which was supported by Belarus. According to official information, 32 athletes from both countries will be competing in Paris as AINs, 17 of whom come from Belarus. The majority of the Russian participants are tennis professionals who also compete in international tournaments on the tennis tour.

Previously undergoing an examination procedure
All of them had to go through a vetting process beforehand in order to rule out possible links to the armed forces and security authorities of both countries, among other things. Public support for the war would also have led to exclusion.

Bardsilouskaya and her compatriot Litvinovich were also ineligible to compete at the last World Championships, as was the Russian Anschela Bladschewa, who finished fifth in Paris. All three had qualified for the Olympic Games via the World Cup. The world federation only lifted the international ban on Russians and Belarusians on January 1, 2024.