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 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.