When the International Olympic Committee decides on Tuesday how to punish Russia for attempting to rig the 2014 Winter Olympics with an elaborate doping scheme in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, it will have no good options.
The Winter Games as an entity, already on uncertain ground because of corruption, exorbitant costs and limited appeal, could face an even greater threat to their long-term survival.
Possible sanctions include a fine; a complete ban of Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea; or a shaming that amounts to a reverse scarlet letter.