Belarus athletes Ivan Litvinovich and Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya registered first-ever individual neutral athletes medals at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Friday. Litvinovich successfully defended his gold in the men’s trampoline gymnastic event while Bardzilouskaya claimed silver in the women’s category.
Both Litvinovich and Bardzilouskaya made it to the podium but had to listen to an anthem commissioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). A few athletes (17 from Belarus and 15 from Russia) are competing in the 33rd Summer Games under the Individual Neutral Athletes (INA) flag due to a ban on Russia and Belarus’ Olympic Federations.
The IOA invited athletes who did not support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but very few accepted an invitation to play under a neutral flag in Paris Games 2024. Medals won by athletes under a neutral flag get counted as an INA medal and do not reflect in the medal’s tally.
More to follow…
