What is ROC at the Winter Olympics? Explaining the Russian Olympic Committee and why Russia are banned
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Updated 02/02/2022 at 11:51 GMT
There will be 204 athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Games as “neutrals” using the ROC moniker. Unlike most of the competitors, these athletes will not hear their country’s national anthem if they are fortunate to finish on the podium in their respective events. The Russia national flag and the national anthem is going to be absent from the games due to being banned from major sporting events.
ROC athlete Roman Repilov trains for the Luge
Image credit: Getty Images
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games gets underway on Wednesday, with countries from across the globe competing in the biggest show on snow and ice, and one of those nations will be the Russian Olympic Committee or ROC for short.
There will undoubtedly be a bit of head scratching from a few viewers seeing the acronym for the first time, so we’re here to help if this applies to you!
HOW MANY ROC ATHLETES WILL BE AT THE OLYMPICS?
Well, as it turns out, quite a lot! There will be 204 athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Games as “neutrals” using the ROC moniker.
Unlike most of the competitors, these athletes will not hear their country’s national anthem if they are fortunate enough to finish on the podium in their respective events.
The Russia national flag and the national anthem is going to be absent from the games, due to the Russia National Olympic Committee currently being banned from competing in major sporting events.
WHY ARE RUSSIA BANNED FROM THE OLYMPICS?
Naturally, you will then be led to asking the above question. The answer involves a decision which shocked the sporting world, and one which will have huge ramifications for many years to come.
In December 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), gave Russia a four-year ban from competing at all major sporting events. This included both the Summer and Winter Games, but Russia’s appeals subsequently saw the ban reduced to two years.
It was a severe punishment to match an equally severe crime against the integrity of sport, as Russia’s Anti Doping Agency (RUSADA) was declared non-compliant for manipulating laboratory data handed over to investigators in January 2019.
The state-sponsored doping scandal had already resulted in Russia being suspended for three years in 2018, and once that term was served, RUSADA had to hand over data to WADA.
The result of the above meant that Russia would be unable to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, having already been banned from competing in athletics since 2015.
But amidst all of this doom and gloom, there is saving grace for athletes who are deemed clean from doping, as they can compete under the ROC acronym.
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ROC athlete Eduard Latypov trains for the biathlon
Image credit: Getty Images
However, there is a slight twist, as stipulated by an IOC statement: "All public displays of the organisation’s participant name should use the acronym ‘ROC’, not the full name 'Russian Olympic Committee.'"
Three flames in the national Russian flag colours with the Olympic rings below them makes up the logo and the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Should an athlete win gold they will have a fragment of a concerto by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky played instead of the Russia national anthem.
Russian sportsmen and women must compete in international competitions under a neutral flag until the ban ends on December 16, 2022.
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