They were born and bred in Russia. But they are representing another country at Paris 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered a swarm of political and economic fallouts. One of them was Russia getting banned from the Paris Olympics. However, the International Olympic Committee invited 36 Russian sportspersons to participate in the 2024 global games.
Among them, 15 accepted the proposal. These athletes are now being described as AINs (Athlete Individuel Neutre, in French), which means Individual Neutral Athlete. In functional terms, they will be competing in the Olympics but will not display their national flag. Also, the national anthem won’t be played if they win gold.
But apart from this bunch of 15 select invitees, there is another category of Russian sportspersons taking part in the Paris Games that officially began on Friday. These Russian athletes have decided to represent another country even at the cost of being castigated by many at home, especially those in power.
“Russia’s sports ministry said last August that 67 athletes have changed nationality since the start of 2022. But some independent observers suggest that it is an understatement, putting the real number as high as 200, including some in non-Olympic sports like chess,” Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported. Some of them, described by WSJ as “the secret Russians” will be in the race for a medal in Paris.
Here are brief profiles of four such Russian athletes who are competing under another national flag:
Sardana Trofimova: Marathoner | Kyrgyzstan
The 36-year-old was born in Yakutz, a frosty but rapidly expanding city in eastern Russia. She won the Moscow Marathon in 2017 and in 2018. Trofimova became a citizen of Kyrgyzstan in 2023 and won an Asian Games bronze the same year. “Thank you, Kyrgyzstan, for the second life of my sports career,” she posted on social media. As part of her Olympic preparation, Trofimova trained in Bosteri, a panoramic village in north-east Kyrgyzstan.
Georgii Okorokov: Wrestler | Australia
The 28-year-old freestyle wrestler competes in the 65kg class. “There is nothing in my mind except an Olympic medal,” he told Australian news agency, AAP. Okorokov comes from the region of Yakutia in icy eastern Russia. As a youngster, he would travel far from his village to show up at his wrestling club. His early successes came as a Russian wrestler. But in 2017, he moved to Australia, where his potential was identified and he was made a part of the high-performance squad whilst assisting in upskilling local Australian wrestling talent. Competing for Australia from 2022, he is currently ranked 27th in the world.
Igor Myalin: Diver | Uzbekistan
The 28-year-old Russian has been competing for Uzbekistan with success. “I miss my homeland, but I subordinate it to my sporting goal,” he once said in an interview.
Anastasiia Kirpichnikova: Swimmer | France
The triple European champion will be representing France. She has been living there for five years and trains in Martigues, a commune northwest of Marseille. Now 24, Kirpichnikova had earlier also participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games representing Russia sans flag. She finished seventh in the 1,500m final and eighth in the 800m final. She holds the Russian records in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle.
Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered a swarm of political and economic fallouts. One of them was Russia getting banned from the Paris Olympics. However, the International Olympic Committee invited 36 Russian sportspersons to participate in the 2024 global games.
Among them, 15 accepted the proposal. These athletes are now being described as AINs (Athlete Individuel Neutre, in French), which means Individual Neutral Athlete. In functional terms, they will be competing in the Olympics but will not display their national flag. Also, the national anthem won’t be played if they win gold.
But apart from this bunch of 15 select invitees, there is another category of Russian sportspersons taking part in the Paris Games that officially began on Friday. These Russian athletes have decided to represent another country even at the cost of being castigated by many at home, especially those in power.
“Russia’s sports ministry said last August that 67 athletes have changed nationality since the start of 2022. But some independent observers suggest that it is an understatement, putting the real number as high as 200, including some in non-Olympic sports like chess,” Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported. Some of them, described by WSJ as “the secret Russians” will be in the race for a medal in Paris.
Here are brief profiles of four such Russian athletes who are competing under another national flag:
Sardana Trofimova: Marathoner | Kyrgyzstan
The 36-year-old was born in Yakutz, a frosty but rapidly expanding city in eastern Russia. She won the Moscow Marathon in 2017 and in 2018. Trofimova became a citizen of Kyrgyzstan in 2023 and won an Asian Games bronze the same year. “Thank you, Kyrgyzstan, for the second life of my sports career,” she posted on social media. As part of her Olympic preparation, Trofimova trained in Bosteri, a panoramic village in north-east Kyrgyzstan.
Georgii Okorokov: Wrestler | Australia
The 28-year-old freestyle wrestler competes in the 65kg class. “There is nothing in my mind except an Olympic medal,” he told Australian news agency, AAP. Okorokov comes from the region of Yakutia in icy eastern Russia. As a youngster, he would travel far from his village to show up at his wrestling club. His early successes came as a Russian wrestler. But in 2017, he moved to Australia, where his potential was identified and he was made a part of the high-performance squad whilst assisting in upskilling local Australian wrestling talent. Competing for Australia from 2022, he is currently ranked 27th in the world.
Igor Myalin: Diver | Uzbekistan
The 28-year-old Russian has been competing for Uzbekistan with success. “I miss my homeland, but I subordinate it to my sporting goal,” he once said in an interview.
Anastasiia Kirpichnikova: Swimmer | France
The triple European champion will be representing France. She has been living there for five years and trains in Martigues, a commune northwest of Marseille. Now 24, Kirpichnikova had earlier also participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games representing Russia sans flag. She finished seventh in the 1,500m final and eighth in the 800m final. She holds the Russian records in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle.