I’m trying to tune in each night for the Winter Olympics, at least for a half hour or so, because they’re such a valued tradition and a great way to give exposure to under-rated sports.

My desire to watch the Games has been limited by the fact that they’re unfolding in China, a country that’s unquestionably in the hands of dictators.

China punishes political dissension. It suppresses religion. It has a barbaric labor standard. It openly questions Taiwan’s right to remain independent.

Last but not least, its leaders were less than open about the origins of COVID. Everyone still finds it hard to believe that a never before seen transmission from animals to humans just happened to occur near a major virology research center.

Chinese leader Zi and Vladimir Putin of Russia casted long shadows over the opening ceremonies. The 2022 games pose a resemblance to Berlin’s Summer Olympics in 1936, as Adolph Hitler showcased his nation to the world at a time when he was fortifying the west edge of Germany and developing gas chamber technology.

I almost wrote a column this winter advocating an Olympic boycott, maybe a voluntary one organized by athletes with an objection to China’s government policies.

I chose not to do that after thinking about the historic legend of track star Jesse Owens in Berlin in 1936. I remember hearing as a child about how Jesse Owens as a black athlete had something to prove to Hitler about racial justice.

There’s something to prove this year in China about the value of freedom. It’s especially obvious when we consider how its foremost tennis star was interviewed under the supervision of a Chinese official, and when she had to say during the interview that she’s “nothing special”.

It shows how a dictatorship always seeks to stamp out any kind of individuality. A worldwide tennis sensation is a special person. She deserves to be considered special.

In the free world educators teach their students that everyone is special, that we are all unique individuals with valuable gifts and talents.

That’s part of giving people self esteem. It demonstrates the value of motivating everyone to set goals. They should decide for themselves what they want out of life and work to achieve it.

Our Winter Olympic athletes did that in their quest for gold. Had we denied them that chance for political reasons, we would be making them pawns of the state in much the same way as previous and current dictatorships.

At least several inspiring stories about American athletes are bound to come out of the 2022 Games. There might even be something as great as the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, when Eric Heiden swept the men’s speed skating gold medals and the U.S. hockey team performed its “Miracle On Ice”.

Athletes from free countries will prove something in 2022. They’ll reflect how the best recipe for success is freedom, how the achievements of athletes are especially meaningful if they aren’t controlled by the state. Their own motivation should be the driving force behind what they accomplish.

The whole question of free thought extends well beyond the world of sports. The same principle holds true for artists, musicians, writers, scientists, engineers and journalists.

We grew up hearing that we all had the right to become what we want. We at least have the right to try for any goal, no matter how high of a pinnacle it might involve.

It’s exciting to dream of the possibilities. Maybe someday every child all throughout the world can enjoy such dreams.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent