Paris Olympics 2024: Why tennis players Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva's silver medals don't count in official tally

Rarely on the podium and barred from the opening ceremony, the 15 Russians competing at Paris 2024 have an uneasy status as 'Individual Neutral Athletes' following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Some in the Olympic Village opposed them taking part in Paris 2024, and Russian opinion is divided.

In Russia, the Olympics aren't being shown on television and some politicians and media figures have even described those willing to compete in Paris as traitors.

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It's a complex environment for the athletes, some of them teenagers, to navigate and they're wary of talking about politics or the war.

Mirra Andreeva, right, and her teammate Diana Shnaider of 'Individual Neutral Athlete' won silver in women's doubles tennis on Sunday. AP

What do the Russian athletes think?

"My family is proud of me, that's all that matters," said tennis player Diana Shnaider. She and Mirra Andreeva became the first Russians to win a medal at Paris 2024, taking silver in women's doubles on Sunday.

The 20-year-old former college player for North Carolina State said it was "amazing" to be at her first Olympics.

"There are still a lot of people from my country in the stands and they are still putting in a lot of support. I heard words of encouragement today," she said after winning in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.

Tennis players like Shnaider and 2021 U.S. Open winner Daniil Medvedev are used to dealing with the media and playing around the world without a Russian flag. Others seem a little overwhelmed.

Anzhela Bladtceva, a 19-year-old trampolinist, placed fifth in her event on Friday and clutched a stuffed animal as she spoke with media afterward.

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"There are so many emotions, so many people, everyone is so kind and happy and so helpful," she said.

Bladtceva said she was spending time in the Olympic Village with a trampolinist friend from Azerbaijan and that she hadn't been asked about the war.

"No one asks at all, they ask if it was hard for us to get here, only positive questions. No one is saying bad things," she said.

National delegations sailed down the Seine River on a flotilla of boats in the opening ceremony, but the neutral athletes weren't included.

"It's upsetting that they didn't let us, but what can you do?" said Bladtceva, who was still in Russia for the ceremony. "I didn't really watch it."

Anzhela Bladtceva of the Individual Neutral Athletes is pictured here waiting to see her score. She came fifth in her event last week. AP

Why are so few Russians competing in Paris?

Of the 32 "neutral" athletes in Paris, 17 previously represented Belarus and just 15 represented Russia. That's compared to more than 300 Russians at Tokyo 2020.

International Olympic Committee restrictions barred Russian athletes who are in the military or publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine. The IOC also blocked Russians from team sports. Track and field enforced its own blanket ban.

In gymnastics and weightlifting, Russia's teams skipped qualifying events in protest of being forced to compete as neutrals or to undergo vetting, including checks of their social media.

Some athletes even qualified, accepted their IOC invitations, then withdrew weeks before the Olympics began. It wasn't clear whether they made that decision under pressure at home. The IOC lists 10 Russians and one Belarusian who "initially accepted but subsequently declined."

Andreeva and Shnaider were the first Russians to secure a podium place at Paris 2024. AP

Wrestler Shamil Mamedov briefly seemed to defy a Russian wrestling federation decision not to send athletes. The federation later told Russian state news agency Tass that Mamedov was out of the Olympics because an old injury flared up.

What happens when Russians win medals?

Shnaider and Andreeva's silver in the tennis on Sunday was the first for Russian athletes.

They stood on the podium in matching green-and-white tracksuits as a green flag with the inscription AIN – the French acronym for Individual Neutral Athlete – was raised alongside the flags of Italy and Spain.

Neutral athletes from Belarus won gold and silver medals in the men's and women's trampoline competitions, respectively, on Friday, and Belarusian rower Yauheni Zalaty won a silver on Saturday.

When a neutral athlete wins a gold medal, an "anthem" commissioned by the IOC plays. With stirring strings and a prominent drum beat, it's more like the soundtrack to an inspirational video than a national anthem. Their medals don't count in Olympic organisers' official medal table.

Bladtceva competed in women's trampoline under AIN. AP

Russian athletes competed in Tokyo under the name 'Russian Olympic Committe' and under less onerous restrictions in the aftermath of a doping scandal.

They were allowed to wear national colours and music by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky played for gold medallists.

Are Russians competing for other countries?

At least 82 athletes at Paris 2024 were born in Russia, including the neutral athletes, according to statistics from Norwegian broadcaster NRK. That leaves more than 60 competing for other nations.

Some have lived outside Russia for years or moved abroad as children. Others switched their sporting allegiance since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Swimmer Anastasia Kirpichnikova competed for ROC at Tokyo 2020. She trained in France for years before making her switch to the French team official last year. Kirpichnikova won a silver medal for France in the women's 1500m freestyle behind Katie Ledecky on Wednesday.

Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy shake hands after winning over Andreeva and Shnaider in the women's doubles on Sunday. AP

What does Ukraine think?

Ukraine's government and Olympic committee wanted Russian athletes excluded from all international sports and opposed IOC efforts to include them as neutrals.

The limited Russian presence is like "nothing," the head of Ukraine's Olympic delegation told The Associated Press this week.

Ukraine briefly had a policy of boycotting Olympic qualifying competitions that allowed Russians to attend but dropped that last year because it risked not being represented at the Olympics at all.

Ukrainian activists gathered information from Russian athletes' social media in the months leading up to the Olympics, flagging posts to the IOC that they considered to support the war.

Some Ukrainians view changes of allegiance with suspicion, too. Fencing champion Olga Kharlan said last month that Russian athletes who switched allegiance to other countries' teams after the invasion "should be checked more."

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