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 at Paralympic Games for the same reasons as independent Olympians.
During the Cold War, some athletes who emigrated from Soviet 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]
The IOC first made provisions for athletes to compete under the Olympic flag in time for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Some NOCs, mostly from Western Europe, wished to attend the Games despite their governments' support for the American-led boycott in protest of the Soviet 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 and Portugal, competed under their respective NOCs' flag.[6][7][8]
During the 1992 Summer Olympics, athletes from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Macedonia competed as independent Olympic participants. Macedonian athletes could not appear under their own flag because their National Olympic Committee (NOC) had not been formed. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) 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.
Four athletes competed as independent Olympic Athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
After the dissolution of the Netherlands 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 either Aruba or the Netherlands.
The National Olympic Committee for South 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.
The Indian 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 the 2014 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 the luge competition and received 38th place. He would end up being the only athlete to officially participate as an Independent Olympic Participant.
On 11 February 2014, the IOC reinstated the Indian Olympic Association after Narayana Ramachandran, the president of the World 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 as independent, as the Kuwait Olympic Committee was suspended by the International 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 as Athletes from Kuwait for the 2010 Asian Games. Fehaid Al-Deehani became the first Independent Olympic Athlete to win a gold medal. Like with gold medalists of the Unified Team at the 1992 Winter and Summer Olympics, the Olympic Hymn was played in the victory ceremony.
Due to widespread state-controlled doping in Russia, the International Association of Athletics Federations suspended the All-Russia Athletic Federation in November 2015. As a result, no Russian athlete would able to compete internationally, including the 2016 Olympics, until the suspension was lifted. The IAAF announced a path for athletes who train outside the Russia 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 and Yuliya 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 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] IOC also rejected the suggestion that 'neutral' athletes could compete outside of national selection.[21] Klishina was subsequently confirmed as competing under Russian colours, their only competitor in athletics at the 2016 Olympics.[22]
The IOC Refugee Olympic Team competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, 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 for Équipe olympique des réfugiés.[26]
Following a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it was announced that Russia would compete under the acronym "ROC", after the name of the Russian Olympic Committee. On 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]
Following a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it was announced that Russia would compete under the acronym "ROC", after the name of the Russian Olympic Committee. On 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]
^ abcThe athlete's nationality is listed at the time of the competition.
References
Citations
^ abScharenberg, Swantje (2004). "1940 Olympic Winter Games (Never Held)". In John E. Findling, Kimberly D. Pelle (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 310. ISBN9780313322785. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
