Tokyo Olympics 2020: Why are Russian participants being denoted by acronym "ROC?"

335 Russian athletes are competing in the Tokyo Games under the designation "ROC" and no Russian athlete is permitted to use their country's name, flag or anthem at the Games.

Did you notice that Russian participants are competing under the designation "ROC" at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics? If yes, then you must be wondering why the country's name, 'Russia' is nowhere to be seen throughout the Games. Let me explain.

"ROC" is an acronym that stands for "Russian Olympic Committee." 335 Russian athletes are competing with other sportspersons from around the world under "ROC" and no Russian athlete, either individual or team, is permitted to use their country's name, flag or anthem at the Games. This change occurred when Russia was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on December 9, 2019 from representing their country or playing at any international sport event for four years because of a 'state-sponsored doping program.'

The ban came after the WADA found that the Russian authorities had manipulated data with the aim of protecting athletes who were involved in the scheme. Following the ban, Russia filed a plea in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision. The Court ordered the WADA to reduce the penalty and removed the ban. According to the ruling, Russia is allowed to participate at the international sports events, including the Tokyo Olympics for a period of two years. 

So, the Russian athletes will have to represent themselves as "neutral athletes" or "neutral teams" which means that the athletes who did not participate in the doping scheme are still allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, but only as neutrals. This implies that if any Russian sportsperson or team wins a medal for any competition, the country's national anthem will not be played.