This is because Russia and Belarus athletes will be competing in the French capital as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), meaning they won't be permitted to don their country's flag or colours or ...

Several players at Australian Open 2025 have been competing without a national flag, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka included.

With many of his political opponents either jailed or exiled abroad, Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed “Europe’s last dictator,” is all but certain to add a seventh term.