Carried the Olympic flag. Olympic flag - history, meaning
The Russian flag was completely banned at the 2018 Olympic Games. Russian athletes do not have the right to use it even as an element of clothing, since the country's national team is suspended from participation in the Games. Athletes who do manage to take part in competitions will do so under the Olympic flag.
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When this decision by the IOC became known, many experts noted that the lack of flowers Russian flag on the athletes themselves can be easily shaded by the abundance of flags in the stands. However, international sports officials deprived Russian fans of this opportunity.
According to the IOC decision, spectators are prohibited from bringing flags of countries not participating in the Games into the stands of stadiums hosting competitions during the 2018 Olympics, Gazeta.ru reports. Russia was among them.
IOC about athletes: We wanted to be absolutely sure that there was not the slightest doubt about the athletes who would be invited. Failure to be included in the list does not mean that the athlete was caught doping.
That is, Shipulin, Ana, Ustyugov, Stolbova were not allowed in for questioning someone? pic.twitter.com/LJIrDEi1x9— Dmitry Smirnov (@dimsmirnov175) January 23, 2018
Let us recall that on December 5, 2017, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee, and in fact the entire Russian team, from participation in the Games. Doping-free Russian athletes are allowed to compete on an individual basis under a neutral Olympic flag.
Later it became known that the IOC banned several Russian athletes from taking part in competitions even under such conditions. Sports officials did not name the reasons for this decision, but made a reservation that this does not indicate a violation by athletes anti-doping rules.
Winter Olympics in South Korea will be held from February 9 to February 25, 2018. 98 medals will be awarded in seven sports.
On the eve of the Pyeongchang Games, “Olympic athletes from Russia” will have to resolve another explosive issue - the person who will carry the IOC banner in front of the Russian delegation on February 9 at the opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony of the next Olympics is a unique moment, almost the most solemn of the entire Games. It is here that the participating teams parade with a solemn parade, the best artists perform, vows are taken and finally the light is lit. olympic flame. Tickets for the ceremonies are always the most expensive and are sold out many months in advance. The central moment of any opening is the parade of athletes. Most teams announce the names of their flag bearers just a few days before the start of the Games. Almost always these are outstanding athletes, symbols of their country. And Russia is, of course, no exception in this regard. On latest Games The flag of our country was carried at the opening by a volleyball player, a bobsledder, and a tennis player. The irony is that in the end, two of these trio received doping charges and were disqualified...
The Russian team at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. Photo by Alexander FEDOROV, "SE"
INTRIGUE ONE: WILL OURS GO TO THE OPENING?
As is known, there will be no Russian flag at the opening of the Games in Pyeongchang - due to IOC sanctions following an investigation into the “Russian doping” story. Nevertheless, our athletes, who receive permission from the IOC to compete in the status of “Olympic athletes from Russia” (OAR), will most likely appear at the stadium. In any case, if this does not happen, there will be a new scandal.
Our delegation obviously will not have any special desire to go to the stadium. Not everyone aspired to the opening of the Olympics even in good circumstances, when we had our own flag and our own uniform. Any such ceremony means for participating athletes a minimum of three hours of waiting in the tribune area, then walking in a circle - and who knows how many more hours to get to the room in Olympic Village. And all this for the sake of a matter of minutes when you walk in the center of an overflowing bowl. Athletes who perform in the first days of the Games almost never appear at the opening, and the rest also appear in a very selective order. You can always invite officials and service personnel for extras.
However, this all happened before. This time we will have an absolute minimum of officials and personnel. And if athletes suddenly refuse to walk through the stadium under the IOC flag, this will certainly be interpreted by international functionaries as sabotage. Historically, absolutely all teams were represented at the opening, regardless of whether they had a national flag: refugees, representatives of suspended national Olympic committees and others. Surely the same fate awaits our UAR sheep.
Delegation of the CIS team in the Olympic Albertville 1992. At the opening ceremony of the Games, the IOC flag was carried by Valery MEDVEDTSEV. Photo by Igor Utkin and Alexander YAKOVLEV, ITAR-TASS
INTRIGUING TWO: WILL THERE BE A STAR-BEARER?
There are possible options here. Anything has happened in history: for example, at the opening of the 2014 Games in Sochi, athletes from India, who competed without their own flag, did not carry the IOC flag - it was held by a volunteer girl accompanying the delegation. And in Barcelona-92, our great wrestler personally carried olympic flag at the head of the United Team. It is still unclear what will happen in Pyeongchang 2018. First vice president Olympic Committee Russia was unavailable for comment. The IOC press service provided SE with the following statement:
All such issues are resolved by the working group. The IOC will issue operational guidance for the implementation of the group's recommendations at the appropriate time, as outlined in the December 5 executive committee decision.
Apparently, the decision on the standard bearer has not yet been made. Both options have obvious disadvantages. If the IOC does not grant us the right to fly the flag, this may be perceived in the country as another humiliation. If it does, the big question is whether there will be anyone willing to go to the ceremony not with their own national flag.
INTRIGUE THIRD: WHO WILL CARRY THE FLAG?
If there is a standard bearer, the choice of his candidacy will be the most difficult in history. This person will most likely face criticism, there will be unpleasant comments under the photograph with his image, and he himself risks becoming a symbol of national shame.
Most likely, none of the athletes will undertake such a mission. So, all that remains is to choose among officials or coaches. After all, the rules do not prohibit a flag being carried by a person who will not compete at the next Olympics. For example, the same Pozdnyakov - by the way, four-time Olympic champion in fencing. When a ship sinks, the captain must be the last to leave. So it is here: when a team is in a critical situation, it is logical for its leader to shoulder the burden of responsibility.
Standard bearers of the Russian national team at Winter Olympics. Photo "SE"
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed our athletes to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics, but only under neutral flag. What is a neutral flag, and under what conditions will the Russians be able to compete in Pyeongchang, Korea, we explain in the “Question and Answer” section.
What is a neutral flag?
The neutral flag is the Olympic flag that is present at every Olympics and you have probably seen it. It looks like this: on a white panel there are five intertwined rings of blue, black, red, yellow and green. They symbolize the five parts of the world.
The flag was invented by French sports figure Pierre de Coubertin in 1913. First new symbol was presented at the VII Summer Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920.
Most often, independent athletes whose countries are not recognized or not allowed to participate by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) compete under a neutral flag.
But all athletes who have passed the Olympic selection have the right to make their own decision about participation in the Olympic Games. And then they come to competitions under a neutral flag.
What are the conditions for performing under a neutral flag?
The question of participation in the Games of individual athletes in neutral status will be considered individually. Only those athletes whose names did not appear in the doping scandal will be able to take part. A list of Russians must be compiled by January. Access to the Games will now be granted by a special “independent doping testing group” of the IOC.
If one of our athletes manages to take first place in any of the events, not the Russian anthem, but the Olympic anthem will be played during the award ceremony. If successful, a neutral flag will also be raised at the award ceremony. The same flag will be shown in the credits during TV broadcasts.
Our team will be called Olympic Athletes from Russia, which translates as “Olympic athletes from Russia.” In the credits, the abbreviation next to Russian surnames will look like OAR. Russians will be able to perform in neutral uniforms.
During the Olympics, tattoos and manicures with Russian symbols and the color of the flag are prohibited. The playing of the national anthem is not permitted. For violations, the athlete may be suspended from participation and the results canceled.
Is Russia the first country that will not be allowed to attend the Olympics?
For the first time, Germany and its allies were not allowed to attend the Olympics for starting the First World War in the 1920s. Germany was forced to miss the Olympics again in 1948 due to the outbreak of World War II. Japan was also punished.
The South African team missed the Games from 1964 to 1988 - this is how the IOC responded to the apartheid policy. Afghanistan did not make it to the 2000 Olympics - with the arrival of the Taliban, discrimination against women flourished there.
Athletes competed under a neutral flag at the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980. Then the US team and a number of other teams in the Western world declared a boycott, but several athletes from them still came to the USSR.
The CIS team at the Olympics in 1992 competed under the Olympic flag, because athletes for the Games were selected from the USSR, and in 1992 such a country no longer existed. We won the Summer Olympics then, and were second at the Winter Olympics.
But Russia became the first country punished for doping violations. Let us remember that in the World Championship athletics in 2017, our athletes already took part under a neutral flag.
The activities of the Russian National Olympic Committee were suspended due to doping scandal. Because of this, the Russian team will be able to compete at the 2018 Games only under a neutral, Olympic flag. Where did this gesture come from and who else was deprived of the opportunity to compete under the flag of their country - in the material of "Futurist"
What kind of flag is this?
This is the Olympic flag - five intertwined multi-colored rings on a white background. Independent Olympic athletes perform under it. These include those whose countries do not have an Olympic committee recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The same rule exists for the Paralympic Games.
The team marches under the Olympic flag at the opening and closing ceremonies, and it is raised at the awards ceremony. Instead of the country's national anthem, the Olympic anthem is played at the medal ceremony.
For what reasons does this happen?
There are many reasons. This time, the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee in the IOC was suspended indefinitely due to a doping scandal. The only way out for athletes from Russia was to compete at the 2018 Games under the Olympic flag. This is the first time a country has been punished due to a doping scandal.
Most often, members of national teams competed as independent athletes at a time when the country was undergoing a political transition or was under political sanctions. For example, at the 1992 Summer Olympics, athletes from Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) competed under a neutral flag. At that moment, socialist Yugoslavia was in an acute political crisis - some of the republics seceded from its composition, and some defended their independence, and military conflicts flared up every now and then. Macedonia was one of four republics that separated from the Yugoslav Federation in 1991 - the country simply did not have time to form its own Olympic Committee. And the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia did not recognize the independence of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and was under UN sanctions. But this year Bosnia and Herzegovina presented its national team at the Olympics for the first time - the rules for it were relaxed.
Athletes from East Timor (2000)
A similar situation occurred in 2000, when athletes from East Timor, a newly formed island state, had to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics as individual athletes - they did not yet have an Olympic committee, and the state itself was not yet recognized.
When did the term “independent Olympic athletes” come into being?
Just in 1992, when many countries of the socialist camp were experiencing collapse. But there were precedents when the national team was not allowed to participate under the flag of its country.
At the end of the 19th century, when olympic movement just revived, it was possible to create mixed teams of athletes different countries. This happened at the first Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 (these games were not recognized as official by the IOC), as well as at the two subsequent summer games in Paris (1900) and St. Louis (1904). This practice was later stopped: mixed teams were created in exceptional cases.
After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany in the spring of 1939, the organizers of the 1940 Winter Olympics refused to recognize the Czechoslovak NOC - but athletes could compete under the Olympic flag. Due to the Second World War, the games were completely cancelled.
Could athletes simply be banned from participating in the Games, without changing their attributes?
Yes, that happened. For example, in 1920, Germany and its allies were not invited to the Olympics for starting the First World War, and in 1948, already for the Second World War, Germany and Japan were punished. The South African team did not participate in the Games from 1964 to 1988 - this was the Committee’s response to the apartheid policy. Afghanistan was not allowed to participate in the 2000 Olympics - this was due to discrimination against women, which flourished there under the Taliban regime. After the overthrow of the Taliban, the team returned and competed in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Who else competed under the Olympic flag?
Sebastian Coe at the Moscow Olympics (1980)
For example, the refugee team in Rio de Janeiro (2016). 10 athletes from Syria, South Sudan and Ethiopia, who managed to confirm their qualifications and had official UN refugee status, competed under the flag of the Olympic Committee. At the same Games, Kuwait had to maintain neutrality - the functions of the NOC were suspended due to government intervention in the affairs of the Olympics. For the same reason, the team was unable to compete under the national flag at the 2010 Youth and Asian Games. By the 2012 Olympics, the IOC managed to return powers to the Kuwait committee, and the national team represented its country at the Games in full regalia - but the NOC failed to maintain its position. Indian athletes suffered not only because of government interference in the affairs of the NOC, but also because of corruption: they competed under the Olympic flag at the Sochi Games (2014).
The 1980 Olympics in Moscow was boycotted by many Western countries, but athletes could compete under the Olympic flag. This is what the current president did International Federation athletics Sebastian Coe (although he was in the Great Britain team uniform). He won two medals.
Has Russia already competed under the Olympic flag?
Unified team at the Aberville Winter Games (1992)
Yes, in the same 1992, at the Winter and Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Then Russian athletes competed as part of the United Team (EUN), which included athletes from the former republics of the USSR. At the winter games, the team included athletes from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, at the summer games - athletes from 12 out of 15 former Soviet republics. They won 9 gold, 6 silver and 8 bronze medals and took 2nd place in the team competition. At that time, the Baltic countries had already formed Olympic committees and had the right to compete under the national flag - but they could also compete as part of a unified team (for example, Latvian basketball players did this). OK athletes won 45 gold, 38 silver and 29 bronze medals, taking 1st place in the team competition. At award ceremonies for team representatives, the Olympic flag was raised and the Olympic anthem was played - but in individual competitions, national attributes were used.
TASS DOSSIER. On December 5, 2017, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the organization and suspended the Russian team from participation in the XXIII Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang (Republic of Korea, February 9-25, 2018) due to systematic anti-doping rule violations. At the same time, the IOC intends to respect the rights of clean athletes: athletes who meet the proposed criteria will compete at the Games in the status of " olympic athlete from Russia." The editors of TASS-DOSSIER compiled a selection of cases when athletes competed at the Games under a neutral flag.
What is a neutral (Olympic) flag
The neutral (Olympic) flag is a white panel with the Olympic symbol located in the center - five intertwined rings of blue, yellow, black, green and red, symbolizing the unity of the five continents. Athletes have the right to compete at the Olympics under it if the national Olympic committee of the country they represent is temporarily deprived of IOC recognition or is in the process of formation, as well as in a number of other cases. Previously, due to the suspension of membership of their Olympic committees, athletes from India (2014) and Kuwait (2016) competed under a neutral flag.
The first appearance of athletes at the Games under the Olympic flag took place in Moscow in 1980. Some athletes had previously attempted to compete under the Olympic banner - usually for political reasons - but the IOC rejected their requests.
Moscow-1980
The XXII Summer Olympic Games in 1980 in Moscow were boycotted by the USA, Canada, Germany and about 50 other countries. The reason was the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979. Athletes from these countries did not come to the Games. Representatives from Australia, Andorra, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, San Marino, France and Switzerland took part in the Olympics, but competed under the Olympic flag.
Athletes from Spain, New Zealand and Portugal also came to Moscow, but competed under the flags of their national Olympic committees, not their countries. The winners of the competition, performing under the Olympic flag, were the Italian judoka Ezio Gamba (since 2008 - Main coach, general manager of the Russian judo team), British runner Sebastian Coe (since 2015 - president International Association athletics federations), etc.
Albertville-1992
After the collapse of the USSR, representatives of six former union republics - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine - competed in February 1992 as a single team under the Olympic flag at the XVI Winter Games in Albertville (France). The team received the official name United Team; its participants, despite performing under a neutral flag, were not considered neutral athletes. The combined team won nine gold medals, placing second in this indicator behind Germany, which received ten top awards.
Barcelona 1992
After the collapse of the USSR, representatives of 12 former Soviet republics (with the exception of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) competed in July - August 1992 as a single team under the Olympic flag at the XXV summer games in Barcelona (Spain). The combined team won 45 gold medals and took first place in this indicator.
Due to international UN sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, representatives of this country, as well as the Republic of Macedonia - a total of 58 athletes in 13 sports - competed at the Barcelona Games under the Olympic flag. To distinguish them from the United Team of the Former Soviet Republics, its athletes were signed as independent Olympic participants(Independent Olympic Participant, IOP). Jasna Šekarić won a silver medal in shooting, while Aranka Binder and Stevan Pletikosic received bronze medals in the same event.
Sydney 2000
In 2000, East Timor was in the process of gaining independence from Indonesia (declared on May 20, 2002) and did not have a national Olympic committee. However, four athletes from this country received permission to compete at the XXVII Summer Games in Sydney (Australia) under the Olympic flag. They were weightlifter Martinho de Araujo (took 20th place), boxer Victor Ramos (dropped out in the first round), marathon runners Calisto da Costa (71st place among men) and Agida Amaral (43rd place among women).
London 2012
On October 10, 2010, as a result of constitutional reform, the Netherlands Antilles - an autonomy within the Netherlands - ceased to exist. Instead, the self-governing state entities of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, as well as the communities of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (all within the Netherlands), arose.
The Olympic Committee of the Netherlands Antilles was expelled from the IOC membership in July 2011. Athletes who qualified for the XXX Summer Games 2012 in London (UK) were given the right to compete under the Olympic flag, either as representatives of the Netherlands or Aruba. As a result, the former Netherlands Antilles fielded a team of three athletes under the Olympic flag. Runner Limarvin Bonevasia made it to the semi-finals in the 400m race, judoka Reginald de Windt lost in the first round to Russian Ivan Nifontov, and Philippe van Aanholt took part in the sailing(36th place in the Laser-Radial class).
Marathon runner Guor Marial, who was born on the territory of South Sudan, a state that at the time of the Games did not have a national Olympic committee (South Sudan gained independence on July 9, 2011), also competed under a neutral flag. At the Games, Marial finished 47th.
Sochi 2014
At the XXII Winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi (Krasnodar Territory), athletes from India had to compete under the Olympic flag. The reason was that in December 2012 the IOC withdrew recognition of the Olympic Association of India (OAI). The elections of its next composition were held on the basis of the sports code approved by the government of the country, which is a violation of the IOC’s requirement for the autonomy of Olympic organizations and the prevention of interference in their work by government bodies. On February 8-9, luger Shiva Keshavan managed to perform under a neutral flag.
However, on February 11, the International Olympic Committee restored recognition of the OAO. Thanks to this decision, Indian athletes gained the right to participate in the Games under the flag of their country: skier Nadeem Iqbal and alpine skier Himanshu Thakur officially represented India in the subsequent competition days.
Rio de Janeiro 2016
On XXXI year old At the Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), a team of refugees competed under the Olympic flag. It included ten athletes from four countries - South Sudan, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. Six men and four women took part in competitions in athletics, swimming and judo, but none of them showed good results.
At the Games in Rio de Janeiro under the Olympic flag in clay pigeon shooting Nine athletes from Kuwait also competed in swimming and fencing. In October 2015, the IOC withdrew recognition of the Kuwait Olympic Committee due to interference by the country's authorities in its activities. Two Kuwaiti athletes who competed under the Olympic flag became medalists of the Games in skeet shooting: Fahid al-Daihani won gold medal in the double-trap discipline, and Abdullah al-Rashidi became third in the skeet discipline.
