This past Sunday night, Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia came alive one last time for an inspiring display of acrobatics, stunts and dances. Fans from around the world packed the stadium for support as their nations’ athletes took one last lap around the stadium to officially close out the Winter Olympic season.

The Sochi Olympics came to a close Sunday with the host nation celebrating a win in the overall medal count, buoyed by strong (if not marred by judging controversy) finishes in figure skating.

As the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, open Thursday, the games are mired in the controversy surrounding Russia’s anti-gay laws. While these laws are certainly not something to condone, the Olympics shouldn’t be about politics, and the U.S.’s decision not to boycott the Olympics is the right one.

After the passing of Nelson Mandela last week, sports websites lauded the former South African president for his masterful ability to make sports a pathway for social change. “Mandela realized the transformative and unifying power of sports, and used that power to make changes that protests and diplomacy could not,” read the featured story on Yahoo! Sports.