Australia's beach volleyball team is going up against athletes representing the ROC at the Tokyo Olympics this afternoon, but you'd be forgiven for not thinking such a country exists – it doesn't.
Players and women for the ROC are unable to play under their country's flag, as its history is very similar to that of non-players.
In 2019, Russia was banned from global sporting events by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over allegations of cover-ups and drug fraud.
This means that Russian athletes are not allowed to represent Russia when competing in the Games.
Which country is the ROC in the Olympics?
The ROC is not a country, but a loophole through which Russian athletes can compete in the Olympics, even if Russia is banned.
ROC stands for Russian Olympic Committee, and Russian athletes are allowed to represent the committee even if they cannot represent their country.
According to Olympic rules, the abbreviation ROC should be used instead of the full name.
This means that when a Russian Olympian wins gold, the Russian flag will not be flown, and the Russian national anthem will not be played. Instead, a piece of the Tchaikovsky piece is played as the ROC flag is raised.
It is permissible to include the word "Russian" in team uniforms, but only if the phrase "neutral athlete" is followed, making it clear that the individual is not representing Russia.
Why is Russia banned from the Olympics?
Russia was banned from competing in several major international events by WADA in late 2019.
The ruling came after an investigation found that Russian authorities had planted counterfeit evidence and removed files linked to positive doping tests that could help identify drug fraud.
The revelations pointed to a state-sponsored doping program in Russia.
Russia has previously blamed technical issues for discrepancies in its doping data.
For how long has Russia been banned from the Olympics?
When WADA imposed its ban on Russia in 2019, it was for 4 years, however, it was reduced to 2 years on appeal.
The ban came into effect from the end of the appeals process in December 2020.
This means that the country will not only miss out on the Olympics, but will also miss the 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2022 Football World Cup.
Is the ROC the only non-country in the Olympics?
No.
Other teams not technically representing a country include Chinese Taipei, which includes athletes from Taiwan, and the refugee Olympic team, whose name is very self-explanatory.
Some outlying territories, including the UK Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and Guam, also compete as separate teams.