Which countries have been banned from participating in the Olympics?

EXPLAINER

Thirteen countries have been banned from the Olympics in the past for reasons such as war, doping, political stances or violations of IOC rules.

As Israel’s national football team took the field for their opening game of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Thursday, their national anthem was greeted with boos from sections of the audience.

Chants of “free Palestine” rang out.

Israel’s 88 athletes are among more than 10,500 sportspeople from some 200 countries who will participate in the Olympics, that formally kick off with the opening ceremony on Friday. In Paris, Israeli athletes will receive round-the-clock protection from a specialist elite unit of French police, in addition to their own enhanced security measures.

The country’s participation in the games amid its brutal war on Gaza, in which more than 39,000 people have been killed, has provoked criticism of Olympics organisers, who have a long history of banning nations deemed to have indulged in acts that contravene the spirit of the games. Two countries will be absent from this year’s Olympics: Russia and Belarus, as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Those demanding the ban say Israel, which has been accused of genocide by South Africa in its case at the International Court of Justice, must face the consequences of its actions.

Which countries have been banned from the Olympics before?

A handful of countries have been banned from competing in the Olympics.

The first ban came in the 1920 Summer Olympics held in Antwerp, Belgium where Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey were banned due to their role and involvement in World War I.

Germany was also banned from the 1924 games in Paris as an extension of the previous ban and the ramifications of World War I.

The 1948 Summer Olympics held in London saw the ban of Germany and Japan as a consequence of their role in World War II and the devastation it wrought.

South Africa was banned from the Olympic Games from 1964 to 1992 due to racial segregation as a result of the apartheid regime.

In 1972, Zimbabwe, then known as Rhodesia, was banned from the games in Munich due to international pressure and protests against the country’s policies of racial segregation.

In 2000, Afghanistan was banned from the Melbourne games due to the ruling Taliban’s stance on women. This year, with the Taliban back in power in Kabul, Afghan athletes are participating — but not under the Taliban’s flag. Instead, they will compete under the red, green and black flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which the Taliban overthrew in 2021.

Kuwait was suspended by the International Olympic Committee in October 2015 due to government interference in the country’s Olympic committee. As a result, Kuwaiti athletes participated in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics as independent Olympic athletes under the Olympic flag.

During the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, North Korea was banned due to its decision to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, citing COVID-19 concerns, which violated the Olympic Charter.

Despite not being banned completely from the 2016 Olympics, many Russian athletes were barred from competing in Rio due to state-sponsored doping. This also continued into the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2020 summer olympics Tokyo.

Countries banned from participating in the 2024 games

Russia and Belarus are banned from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris due to their involvement in the ongoing Ukraine war.

At the 2024 Olympics only 15 athletes from Russia and 18 from Belarus are set to compete as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” or AINs, according to the latest numbers released by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

What is the AIN classification?

Competing under the AIN means that Russian and Belarusian flags, national anthems and uniforms will not be allowed at the Paris Games.

AINs are athletes with Belarusian or Russian passports who are confirmed as eligible and invited to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which is based on quotas and specific eligibility requirements determined by the International Federations (IFs).

The IOC has updated the list of eligible Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) with Belarusian or Russian passports who have been invited to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
⬇️ https://t.co/qDbDr6ENuZ pic.twitter.com/HtZZ8Sw309

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 10, 2024

There are 329 events spanning 32 sports at the 33rd edition of the games in Paris which will be held from July 26 to August 11.