The only good that came from Valieva’s fourth-place finish was that the winners were allowed their medal ceremony, as well as the certainty that their placements couldn’t change months later after the doping investigation.

The figure skating scandal might allow China a distraction from questions about its human rights abuses, but it is still a giant stain on Beijing’s hoped-for international triumph. Chinese officials laughably claimed during a press conference that they have “zero-tolerance” for doping, which doesn’t explain why they allowed the IOC to tarnish their games with such a weak response to Valieva’s positive drug test.

China should never have been allowed to host the games, and Russian nationals should have never been allowed to compete under the ROC banner. Sad as it may be for Valieva, this was an important reminder of the deep corruption driving international sport and the countries vying for hegemony over the West.