Ain Country designation explained as Adeliia Petrosian skates in women's final

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 20, 2026 9:41 AM ET

The acronym AIN appears as the ain country designation for Adeliia Petrosian, an 18-year-old who skates in the women's free skate at 4: 15 p. m. ET today, Feb. 19; she is listed among the 13 AIN athletes from Russia competing at these Games.

Ain Country designation explained

AIN stands for "Athletes Individuels Neutres, " a French phrase used at these Winter Olympics to identify neutral competitors from Russia and Belarus. Organizers list 20 AIN athletes in total: 13 from Russia and 7 from Belarus, and the AIN team already has one medal — a silver won by Nikita Filippov in the men's ski mountaineering sprint.

What the label means for athletes and ceremonies

As AIN athletes, competitors from Russia and Belarus do not compete under national flags or anthems; no AIN flag, Russian flags or Belarus flags are displayed and no Russian or Belarusian national anthems are played. Adeliia Petrosian and Alina Gorbacheva were approved as individual neutral athletes to compete in women's figure skating by the International Olympic Committee, and Petrosian is scheduled to skate in the free skate ahead of Alysa Liu.

Screening, politics and reactions back home

Individual athletes were screened and cleared by an IOC committee before being allowed to compete; that review included checks of social media to confirm no show of support for or ties to the war against Ukraine. The ban on Russia and Belarus at these Games is linked in the event material to the ongoing war in Ukraine, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022.

At the same time, coverage from Russia shows a shift in official tone toward the Olympics. Russia's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said he will be watching wherever Russian competitors perform, calling it "a must-see. " A Russian television presenter, Dmitry Guberniev, praised Petrosian and reflected a warming mood toward the athletes. Russia's sports minister, Mikhail Degtyarev, has said a return to competing under the Russian flag and anthem could come as soon as April or May if the matter is addressed.

Petrosian arrived at these Games under the AIN label after finishing the short programme in fifth place; earlier in the competition fans tossed soft toys into the ice as she performed, and observers noted only a faint smile on her face despite the crowd reaction.

Petrosian skates at 4: 15 p. m. ET today, Feb. 19, in the women's free skate. The free skate will decide additional medals for the event and could change the AIN medal tally, which currently stands at one silver for Nikita Filippov.