Now that the 2024 Olympics are underway in Paris, athletes from two countries are competing without a national title, flag or anthem — instead, they'll be referred to as "AIN."
Ain (/ æ̃ /; [3] French: [ɛ̃] ⓘ; Arpitan: En) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it borders the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. In 2019 it had a population of ...
AIN is being used for the first time this summer at the Paris 2024 Olympics to represent pre-approved Russian and Belarusian athletes who are not competing on behalf of Russia or Belarus because they have been banned from participating due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Both the gold medalist for the men's event, Ivan Litvinovich, and the silver medalist for the women's event, Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya, were not representing a country on the podium, but rather...
As it turns out, "AIN" refers to Russian and Belarusian athletes competing as "Individual Neutral Athletes" at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The country code "AIN" is derived from the French name Athlètes Individuels Neutres.
FIS announced today, 12 December, an updated list of athletes and support personnel of Russian or Belarusian nationality who have been granted the status of AIN and, therefore, are cleared to participate in FIS events provided that they formally accept the conditions associated with the AIN status.
Ain 1 British / ɛ̃ / noun a department in E central France, in Rhône-Alpes region. Capital: Bourg. Pop: 539 006 (2003 est). Area: 5785 sq km (2256 sq miles) a river in E France, rising in the Jura Mountains and flowing south to the Rhône. Length: 190 km (118 miles)