No flag, anthem or name? Russia rebranding for the Olympics

Published

2 years ago

July 19, 2021

Russia has had a bad name at the Olympics over its long running doping saga, so the country has decided on a rebrand

Athletes competing in the 2020 Tokyo Games won’t be competing under the Russian flag’s national colours, but instead they’ll be part of the Russian Olympic Committee.

How has it changed from the 2018 winter olympics?

The new rules — are an evolution of the “OAR” restrictions used at the 2018 Winter Olympics

You won’t see the Russian flag above any podiums but the national colours are on the uniforms.

Officially the athletes will represent not their country, but the ROC, and Russia’s name, flag and anthem are banned.

Russian red, white and blue on uniforms are fine — the blocks of colour on the official tracksuits form one big flag — but not the word “Russia,” the flag itself or other national symbols.

Doping cases old and new still cast a shadow over the team. Two swimmers from the Tokyo team have been suspended for cases dating back years.

Despite the name change, Russia will have a nearly full team at the Olympics.

Official Olympic paperwork and TV graphics will attribute Russian results to “ROC” but won’t spell out the Russian Olympic Committee’s name in full.

Gold medalists will get music by Russian composer Tchaikovsky instead of the country’s national anthem.

Russia is sending more than 330 athletes to Tokyo, with the exact number still unclear

Related Topics:olympics russia tokyo tokyo2020

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Tom Brady to start sportscasting in 2024

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1 day ago

February 7, 2023

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Tom Brady plans to start his sportscasting duties on Fox in 2024

Brady’s arrival behind the microphone had been uncertain, especially in the wake of him retiring last year, before changing his mind.

The 45-year-old will be a part of the biggest matches for Fox, as well as act as an ambassador for the Network.

Brady made the announcement to retire from the NFL for the second time last week.

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Formula 1 speeds into New York

Published

4 days ago

February 4, 2023

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Formula One world champions Red Bull took their season launch to the United States with a spray of pyrotechnics in front of a rapt Manhattan crowd as fans braved the bitter cold outside.

Where once NASCAR and IndyCar had a stranglehold on American gearheads, the splash hit Netflix docu-drama “Drive to Survive” has indoctrinated legions of new fans in the United States.

Neither icy cold nor eye-watering winds whipping along the Hudson River could deter the dozens of people who showed up outside the Classic Car Club on Friday, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite drivers heading for the launch.

“I’ve been following it for a while and around 2017, 2016 it wasn’t that big in the United States,” said Tyler Quinn, 21, a college student in Manhattan, who last year saved up to see the Formula One race in Canada and feared the growing fan base could make future trips prohibitively expensive.

“It’s exploded exponentially. You know, when I talk to people in school … they all know about F1, they all recognise certain things, they all ask me questions. It’s growing fast and I really am glad about that.”

Las Vegas will join Austin and Miami as the third race in the United States in the 2023 calendar as F1 looks to make further inroads into the lucrative market.

Speaking at the members-only Classic Car Club, where a garage of luxury cars is available for patrons to enjoy, Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner told Reuters that “Drive to Survive” had been a “game changer”.