Indeed, granting Zhao Yi a waiver for basic subjects was not considered special treatment, since he genuinely had to go to accept an award.
There are similar rules within universities.
For instance, military enlistment.
College students who enlist for military service have all their courses for the semester, whether mandatory or optional, automatically approved.
In other words, the university has the right to make special accommodations on exams and grades according to the unique circumstances of the students.
And this is perfectly reasonable.
After all, universities are not like high schools. Students' grades in each subject are entirely up to the teacher, such as the part of the grades consisting of routine scores; the teacher has the right to give full scores directly.