Why is Russia rebranded as ROC at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The Russian Olympic team has been under scrutiny for quite sometime after their shock ban from the Rio Olympic Games due to a doping breach. However, a strong contigent of 335 athletes is representing the Rainbow nation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Russian athletes who have not been caught doping themselves are still allowed to compete. But their team cannot be known as “Russia,” the Russian flag is banned and so is its anthem. Instead, the team was introduced as “Russian Olympic Committee.”  This is due to the fact that Russia was sanctioned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after it was accused of running a state-backed doping program.

In 2020, the CAS sanctioned Russia due to several doping violations, banning it from all major sporting events for two years (a reduction from the four years ban established in 2019 by the World Anti-Doping Agency). Russians athletes therefore, are allowed to compete in international competitions but they have to do it under a neutral flag. Due to the verdict, Russia will be called ROC at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. As for the flag, the country will use the ROC symbol consisting of the Olympic flame-colored in white, blue, and red stripes of the national flag above the five Olympic rings. Moreover, when a Russian athlete during the  reaches the podium after winning a gold medal, the Russian anthem won't be played. Instead, music by composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, specifically the Piano Concerto No. 1, will play in medal ceremonies. In terms of their uniform, the flag logo is not allowed but colors of the flag will be allowed to placed in the jersey space.