| Independent Olympians at the Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | IOP, IOA, OAR |
| Summer appearances | |
| Independent Olympic Participants (1992) Individual Olympic Athletes (2000) Independent Olympic Athletes (2012) Independent Olympic Athletes (2016) ROC (2020) Individual Neutral Athletes (2024) | |
| Winter appearances | |
| Independent Olympic Participants (2014) Olympic Athletes from Russia (2018) ROC (2022) Individual Neutral Athletes (2026) | |
Athletes have competed asindependent Olympians at theOlympic Games for various reasons, includingpolitical transition,international sanctions, suspensions ofNational Olympic Committees, and compassion. Independent athletes have come fromNorth Macedonia,East Timor,South Sudan andCuraçao following geopolitical changes in the years before the Olympics, from theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia (present-daySerbia andMontenegro) as a result of international sanctions, and fromIndia andKuwait due to the suspensions of their National Olympic Committees. Starting from 2018, athletes fromRussia have competed under a neutral designation for various reasons, mainlymass violations of anti-doping rules and since 2022, theBelarus-assistedinvasion of Ukraine.
Apart from Russian athletes who won more than hundred medals under a neutral designation, medals were won by independent Olympians at the 1992 and 2016 Olympics, both times in shooting. The naming and country code conventions for these independent Olympians have not been consistent.Independent Paralympians have participated atParalympic Games for the same reasons as independent Olympians.
Prior to the1906 Intercalated Games, entry was not restricted to teams nominated by National Olympic Committees (NOCs).Mixed-nationality teams competed in some team events. Participants in individual events are retrospectively credited to their nationality of the time.[citation needed]
The1940 Winter Olympics was reassigned toGarmisch-Partenkirchen in spring 1939. In concert withGerman claims on Czechoslovakia, the organisers refused to recognise theCzechoslovakia NOC; however, they were prepared to allow its athletes to enter under the Olympic flag.[1] In any event, the Games were cancelled because ofWorld War II.[1]
During theCold War, some athletes who emigrated fromSoviet Bloc countries were unable to compete at the Olympics, as their original state's NOC neither wanted them on its own team nor gave them permission to transfer nationality. Some applied to compete as individuals in 1952 and 1956 but were refused.[2]
WhenGuyana joined the1976 Olympic boycott, its sprinterJames Gilkes asked the IOC to be allowed to compete as an individual, but was refused.[3][4][5]
The IOC first made provisions for athletes to compete under the Olympic flag in time for the1980 Summer Olympics inMoscow. Some NOCs, mostly from Western Europe, wished to attend the Games despite their governments' support for theAmerican-led boycott in protest of theSoviet invasion of Afghanistan. The NOCs hesitated to use national symbols without government approval, so the IOC relaxed this requirement: 14 NOCs competed under the Olympic flag, while three,New Zealand,Spain andPortugal, competed under their respective NOCs' flag.[6][7][8]
During the1992 Summer Olympics, athletes from theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia and theRepublic of Macedonia competed as Independent Olympic participants. Macedonian athletes could not appear under their own flag because theirNational Olympic Committee (NOC) had not yet been formed. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia andMontenegro) was under United Nations sanctions which prevented the country from taking part in the Olympics. However, individual Yugoslav athletes were allowed to take part as independent Olympic participants. 58 athletes competed as independent Olympic participants, winning three medals.
| Medal | Name | Nationality[a] | Games | Sport | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Silver | Jasna Šekarić | FR Yugoslavia | 1992 Barcelona | Shooting | Women's 10 m air pistol |
 Bronze | Aranka Binder | FR Yugoslavia | 1992 Barcelona | Shooting | Women's 10 m air rifle |
| Bronze | Stevan Pletikosić | FR Yugoslavia | 1992 Barcelona | Shooting | Men's 50 m rifle prone |
The former Soviet Union (except theBaltic states) competed under the Olympic flag at the1992 Winter andSummer Olympics as theUnified Team.
At the2000 Summer Olympics, four athletes fromEast Timor competed as Individual Olympic Athletes during the country's transition to independence.
Four athletes competed as Independent Olympic Athletes at the2012 Summer Olympics.
After thedissolution of theNetherlands Antilles and subsequent withdrawal of the country's National Olympic Committee, three athletes from the country who qualified for the Games were allowed to compete independently. Several others competed for eitherAruba or theNetherlands.
The National Olympic Committee forSouth Sudan was not established between the formation of that state and the 2012 Olympic qualifying. One athlete from South Sudan,Guor Marial, qualified for the Games and was allowed to compete as an independent.
Athletes fromKuwait were originally allowed to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes as well, becausetheir National Olympic Committee was suspended. However, the NOC was reinstated allowing the athletes to competeunder their own flag. Kuwait competed under the Olympic flag at the2010 Summer Youth Olympics and2010 Asian Games.[9]
TheIndian Olympic Association was suspended from the IOC in December 2012, due to problems with its electoral process.[10] New elections were scheduled for 9 February 2014, two days after the start of the2014 Winter Olympics.[11] Therefore, the three Indian athletes who qualified for the Games were scheduled to compete as Independent Olympic Participants.[10]
On 8 and 9 February,Shiva Keshavan participated in theluge competition and received 38th place. He would end up being the only athlete to officially compete as an Independent Olympic Participant.
On 11 February 2014, the IOC reinstated the Indian Olympic Association afterNarayana Ramachandran, the president of theWorld Squash Federation, was voted in as the new president of the Indian Olympic Association, allowing the two remaining athletes to compete under the Indian flag rather than as independent athletes. This was the first time such a reinstatement of a NOC occurred as the Olympic Games were underway.[12][13]
Kuwaiti athletes competed independently, as theKuwait Olympic Committee was suspended by theInternational Olympic Committee due to governmental interference.[14][15][16] This was the second suspension in five years; the first suspension resulted in Kuwaiti athletes being forced to compete under the Olympic flag asAthletes from Kuwait at the2010 Asian Games.Fehaid Al-Deehani became the first Independent Olympic Athlete to win a gold medal. Like with some gold medals of theUnified Team at the 1992 Winter and Summer Olympics, theOlympic Hymn was played in the victory ceremony.
Refugees were allowed to compete under the Olympic Flag (one of two delegations to compete under that flag, alongside Kuwaiti IOAs) at the2016 Summer Olympics, under the labelRefugee Olympic Team. Ten athletes from four countries competed for this team.[17]
Due towidespread state-controlled doping in Russia, theInternational Association of Athletics Federations suspended theAll-Russia Athletic Federation in November 2015. As a result, no Russian athlete would be able to compete internationally, including the 2016 Olympics, until the suspension was lifted. The IAAF announced a path for athletes who train outside the Russian system and could prove themselves to be clean, as well as those who have helped in the fight against doping, to be eligible to compete as neutral athletes at the 2016 Olympics.[18] Two athletes,Darya Klishina andYuliya Stepanova were initially cleared for competition, as Independent Athletes.[19]
Although Yulia Stepanova was cleared by IAAF because of her revelations regarding Russia's systemic doping program, and the IOC's recognition of her "contribution to the protection and promotion of clean athletes", she was banned by the IOC in line with the decision to ban all Russian athletes with previous doping convictions.[20] The IOC also rejected the suggestion that 'neutral' athletes could compete outside of national selection.[21] Klishina was subsequently confirmed as competing under Russian colours, the country's only competitor in athletics at the 2016 Olympics.[22]
| Medal | Name | Nationality[a] | Games | Sport | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Fehaid Al-Deehani | Kuwait | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Shooting | Men's double trap |
| Bronze | Abdullah Al-Rashidi | Kuwait | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Shooting | Men's skeet |
On 5 December 2017, the IOC announced that Russia would be banned from the2018 Winter Olympics over itsstate-sponsored doping program. Russian athletes were allowed to participate under the Olympic flag as "Olympic Athletes from Russia" (OAR) if they were cleared by a panel, which was chaired byValerie Fourneyron and had representatives from the IOC, theWorld Anti-Doping Agency, and the Doping Free Sport Unit of theGlobal Association of International Sports Federations.[23][24][25]
The IOC Refugee Olympic Team competed at the2020 Summer Olympics inTokyo,Japan, as independent Olympic participants.[26] Twenty-nine athletes from 12 sports and 18 countries competed for this team. The IOC code was changed to the French acronym "EOR" which stands forÉquipe olympique des réfugiés.[26]
Following a decision by theWorld Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it was announced that Russia would compete under the acronym "ROC", after the name of theRussian Olympic Committee. In the aftermatch, the IOC announced that the Russian national flag would be substituted by the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee. It would also be allowed to use team uniforms featuring the Russian national colours, the logo of the Russian Olympic Committee and bearing the acronym "ROC".[27][28]
Similarly to the 2020 Summer Olympics, Russia competed in the2022 Beijing Games under the "ROC" acronym due to WADA's sanctions.[27]
| Medal | Name | Country | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Ivan Litvinovich | Belarus | Gymnastics | Men's trampoline | 2 August |
| Silver | Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya | Belarus | Gymnastics | Women's trampoline | 2 August |
| Silver | Yauheni Zalaty | Belarus | Rowing | Men's single sculls | 3 August |
| Silver | Mirra Andreeva Diana Shnaider | Russia | Tennis | Women's doubles | 4 August |
| Bronze | Yauheni Tsikhantsou | Belarus | Weightlifting | Men's – 102 kg | 10 August |
In December 2024, theInternational Skating Union announced that athletes from Belarus and Russia would be allowed to participate in events at the2026 Winter Olympics; if qualified, they would compete under the Individual Neutral Athlete banner, as was done at the2024 Summer Olympics.[30]
