The medal count is in. Most of us have a healthy desire for athletes representing our country to win Olympic Gold. To Xi Jinping it matters even more.

The Communist Party of China, which Xi leads as its General Secretary, governs because, as Mao Zedong chided, it “controls the gun.” Counting on the gun to govern, however, slices away at the party’s legitimacy to rule.

As the PRC economy tumbles and restrictions on its people tighten, comparisons to inherently legitimate democracies grow. General Secretary Xi finds these contrasts threatening to the Communist Party’s right to rule. He is drawn even more to twisting tokens of Chinese athletic prowess in sports into evidence of his usefulness as a leader.

You bet Xi cares. He hopes Chinese will correlate a high haul of gold medals for PRC Olympic competitors with the righteousness of his rule.