BEIJING -- The 24th Winter Olympics concluded Sunday after a 16-day extravaganza that saw top athletes shatter world records in the shadow of a doping scandal, but the biggest winner on and off the slopes may be China.
The host country shrugged off a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott and struck a fresh alliance with Russia that has set the stage for a new geopolitical order, as Chinese athletes took home a record 15 medals.
