Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Tennis - Women's Singles - Round 1 - Ariake Tennis Park - Tokyo, Japan - July 25, 2021. Yet, unlike their counterparts, the Russians are not allowed to use their country’s name, flag and anthem, and are competing under the acronym ROC, meaning Russian Olympic Committee. This is because Russia, which has historically been among the world’s top sporting nations, has been ‘banned’ from the Tokyo Olympics. In December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned Russia for four years from competing in international events, including the Tokyo Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in 2022. As per the IOC, “All public displays of the organisation’s participant name should use the acronym ‘ROC’, not the full name “Russian Olympic Committee”.

Source: Indian Express July 25, 2021 12:45 UTC