For a country officially barred from the Olympics, Russia is very much a presence at this summer’s Tokyo Games.
Take Friday’s opening ceremony. A significant Russian delegation marched in the parade of nations — right behind San Marino and just before Sierra Leone — under the banner of ROC, the acronym for the Russian Olympic Committee. That is the official label under which more than 330 Russian athletes are competing here, a bit of disciplinary sleight of hand required by punishments imposed after the country’s recent doping scandals.
In the days since marching proudly into the Olympic Stadium in central Tokyo, Russian athletes in Russia’s national colors have competed in dozens of sports, from archery to diving, fencing to gymnastics, tennis to taekwondo. On Sunday, Russia even collected its first gold. Twenty-four hours later, it picked up two more.