The old Olympic motto that taking part matters more than winning has never been turned upside down like this: Russian track and field athletes now banned from the Rio Games later this summer following their continued use of illegal doping methods in order to win.
Still, Baron de Courbertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, could only have approved. Whatever crumbling credibility was left in the Games went on trial in Vienna last Friday when the IAAF, the governing body of world athletics, voted to extend or lift its ban on the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) from all competitions. The prohibition was first imposed last November after extensive evidence of systematic doping.
In the end, and despite political pressure of superpower proportions, that vote was unanimous: for the first time in the 120-year history of the modern Olympics, an entire country is banned from taking part in athletics. Russia's defiant response was along the lines of it being far from the only culprit; President Vladimir Putin also claiming such collective punishment was wrong when some clean athletes may well suffer too.
It's a futile defence because while similar investigations may reveal equally dirty secrets, that does not lessen Russia's crimes. Four years ago in London, Ireland's Rob Heffernan was denied a place on the 50km walk medal podium by a Russian athlete subsequently banned for doping. Heffernan will get his bronze medal but the sense of injustice remains, and it's not the only one.
As important as the IAAF vote was the wider response, particularly with Russia calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to intervene. IOC president Thomas Bach is close to Putin but the committee said on Saturday it welcomes and fully respects the IAAF decision. Worse still for Russia, it seems, is that the World Anti-Doping Agency may yet recommend Russia be banned from further sports in Rio, possibly even the entire Games. One battle won in the war on doping, perhaps, but at least now those taking part in Rio have a better chance of winning.