# Question regarding Russian athletes in Rio **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 1, 2016, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630 "2016-09-01T05:03:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630/1 "2016-09-01T05:03:57Z")
Hi I just wanted to clarify whether the Russian athletes permitted to take part in the Games went there as individuals(neutrals if that’s the proper word)or as representatives of Russia.What was their final status? > **[Russian athlete branded a 'traitor' over plans to compete under neutral flag...](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/13/russian-athlete-competing-under-a-neutral-flag-at-the-olympics-branded-a-traitor)** > > Darya Klishina’s decision could make her the country’s only track-and-field competitor at the Olympics after doping scandal “Russian athlete Darya Klishina has been widely criticised after she agreed to compete under a neutral flag at next month’s Olympics, a move which could make her one of Russia’s only track-and-field athletes not banned due to a national doping scandal.” > **[Russia’s athletes escape blanket IOC ban for Rio Olympic Games](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/24/russia-team-escape-blanket-ban-ioc-rio-olympic-games)** > > The International Olympic Committee has decided against a blanket ban on Russian athletes from competing in Rio – ruling instead to allow the 28 individual federations that compromise the summer Games to decide their fate ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630/2 "2016-09-01T06:58:13Z")
It says here, they went as “neutral” athletes. So where does that lave their winnings officially. Did they win for themselves or for Russia? How will those winning athletes be recognized? > **[IAAF ban Russians at Rio: Neutral competing allowed for clean athletes](https://www.express.co.uk/sport/othersport/681003/Athletics-Doping-Rio-Olympics-2016-Russia-Athletes-IAAF-Brazil-Lord-Coe-News)** > > RUSSIAN athletes will be banned from the Rio Olympics – but in an extraordinary compromise, athletics’ governing body the IAAF will allow some of their track-and-field stars to compete in Brazil if they can prove they are clean. “The 27-strong IAAF Council, which met yesterday in Vienna, passed a rule amendment which states athletes who “clearly and convincingly show they aren’t tainted by the Russian system” can apply for permission to compete at the Olympics “as a neutral athlete”.” ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630/3 "2016-09-01T08:17:04Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > It says here, they went as “neutral” athletes. So where does that lave their winnings officially. Did they win for themselves or for Russia? How will those winning athletes be recognized? Surely; athletes win medals for themselves first and their country second. I Think that it was originally intended to be a contest of individuals. A Russian who won a medal is no different to an American or a Brit (assuming that it was an honest win). If a neutral athlete won a gold medal, they were going to play the Olympic anthem rather than the Russian. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630/4 "2016-09-01T08:45:40Z")
Athletes always compete for themselves. It’s the newspapers, the various national Olympic Councils, etc who compile “medal tables” and the like, but that has no official standing with the IOC, and no real significance. Jamaica didn’t win the 100m; Usain Bolt won it. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630/5 "2016-09-01T09:57:51Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Athletes always compete for themselves. It’s the newspapers, the various national Olympic Councils, etc who compile “medal tables” and the like, but that has no official standing with the IOC, and no real significance. > > Jamaica didn’t win the 100m; Usain Bolt won it. Well the Russian athletes got their hero’s welcome [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vltp9Z7nPS8/hqdefault.jpg "Olympic team, including disgraced skier, returns home") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vltp9Z7nPS8) ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630/6 "2016-09-02T01:45:07Z")
Yes, of course. Russian people will tend to celebrate the achievements of Russian athletes, just as American people will tend to celebrate the achievements of American athletes. But that just underlines the point; Russians celebrate the achievements of Russian athletes not because the athletes “represent Russia” - in this instance, they didn’t, at any rate formally - but simply because the athletes are Russian. The achievements, however, remain achievements of the athletes, not achievements of the nation. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630/7 "2016-09-02T02:05:50Z")
The IOC did not do a blanket ban of Russia. Instead, they left it to the governing bodies of each individual sport to handle it in whatever manner they chose to. The Federation in charge of track and field events did make a blanket ban against Russia. As such, any Russian athletes competing in track and field competition would have done so under a neutral flag after very heavy special appeals to that governing body. Russian athletes in other sports where there was no national ban would compete under the Russian flag. ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-russian-athletes-in-rio/764630/8 "2016-09-02T14:19:33Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > The IOC did not do a blanket ban of Russia. Instead, they left it to the governing bodies of each individual sport to handle it in whatever manner they chose to. > > The Federation in charge of track and field events did make a blanket ban against Russia. As such, any Russian athletes competing in track and field competition would have done so under a neutral flag after very heavy special appeals to that governing body. > > Russian athletes in other sports where there was no national ban would compete under the Russian flag. Thanks dzeiger. Very helpful. Thank you all.