Why the Russian Olympic team is known as 'ROC' in Tokyo

We explained for you.

Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Here’s an Olympics edition which will hopefully answer a question you might have.

There are most certainly Russian athletes competing in Tokyo right now (335 to be exact)… but if you’re looking at medal counts or the way competitors are listed, you may notice something strange: Russia is “ROC” and doesn’t have its flag next to its name.

You may be wondering what’s up with that, and that’s what we’re here for. Let’s dive into the story behind the name and the lack of flag.