Russia Is Banned, Yet It’s Everywhere at the Games

A doping punishment changes a country’s official name but little else about its Olympic experience.

TOKYO — 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 ahead of Sierra Leone — under the banner of R.O.C., 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.