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What Song Is Played If a Stateless Olympian Wins a Gold Medal?

No, they can’t pick their own anthem for their medal ceremony.

Olympic individual neutral athlete Daniil Medvedev is one of the Russian competitors at the Paris Games.
Olympic individual neutral athlete Daniil Medvedev is one of the Russian competitors at the Paris Games. | MARTIN BERNETTI/GettyImages

Though Russia and Belarus are banned from the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Paris due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which violates Olympic rules, you'll still find a couple dozen Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Games. They’ll be competing as “individual neutral athletes” (AINs).

As of August 1, 2024, no AINs have won medals at the Paris events. If they do, none of the medals will count toward Russia’s or Belarus’s cumulative medal totals from all Olympics and Paralympics. And if they actually get on to the podium, the officially country-less athletes will celebrate under neutral symbolism, because Russia and Belarus were banned for violating the Olympic Charter and are not permitted to use the Olympic flag or anthem.

The approved neutral flag features a teal background and circular emblem in the center with the words Individual Neutral Athlete / Athelète Individuel Neutre. Similarly, the song that plays is will be an instrumental anthem written for the Games. And while other athletes don athleisure emblazoned with the colors and symbols of their countries, AINs wear white clothing without any national insignia.

In past years, Olympic and Paralympic athletes who are unable to represent their countries due to international sanctions or political transition have competed as “independent" athletes or under other euphemisms. At the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo (which took place in 2021 due to the pandemic), and the 2022 Summer Games in Beijing, Russian athletes competed as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team due to ongoing sanctions for the country’s alleged state-sponsored doping program.

However, athletes who can’t compete for their own country due to political reasons may participate as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. In Paris, the refugee team returns with 36 athletes “representing the world’s displaced population.” Participants from Iran, South Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia, Cuba, and more will compete in 12 sports, including canoeing, judo, weightlifting, and swimming. If these athletes reach the podium, they will accept their medals under the Olympic flag and Olympic Hymn.

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A version of this story was published in 2018; it has been updated for 2024.

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