President Biden has a once in a century opportunity to advance American values and interests and promote human rights and democracy in a profound and global manner. Any of his predecessors would envy his great fortune.

He and his administration should persuade American Olympic athletes to refuse to accept medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. Compete and win? Yes. Accept gold, silver, or bronze medals? No.

Why? The dictatorial behavior of China’s Communist Party has become more and more unacceptable. The genocide against Muslims in Xinjiang Province, the suppression of democracy in Hong Kong, the threats of war against Taiwan, the repression in Tibet, the economic threats against Australia and other Indo-Pacific nations, the obnoxious and childish “wolf-warrior” diplomacy around the world — the list of bad behaviors goes on and on.

Any one of these sins merits condemnation and ostracization from the civilized world. Yet because China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with veto authority, that body will never condemn China’s misdeeds. China’s economic prowess makes smaller nations cower for fear of retribution if they dare criticize Beijing. The Biden administration’s recently announced “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing Olympics will be noticed by exactly no one and have zero impact.

So something dramatic and consequential is required.

As we learned in 1980 with the American boycott of the Moscow summer Olympics (because of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan), boycotts by countries do not amount to much. The Games go on, there are no complaints, champions are made, and the world continues to rotate. The Soviet Union reciprocated in 1984 and boycotted the Los Angeles games. No one really cared. Pulling America’s athletes from the Beijing Olympics is not a smart choice.

Sports is a spectacle, and the world loves the Olympics. The proper place for a protest is in the global spotlight at the Olympics. High-level athletes competing for their home country are some of the most admired humans on the planet. The persuasive power in the moment of their triumph is unparalleled.

Think of Jesse Owens showing up Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime in Berlin in 1936 by winning four golds. Think of Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists for civil rights in Mexico City in 1968. Their gestures and achievements will endure forever.

Now imagine an American athlete in February 2022 winning, say, a snowboarding event, standing atop the medal stand as the “Star Spangled Banner” plays, and refusing to accept her gold medal from the Chinese Olympic official.

It would instantly become the biggest news in the world. Other American athletes follow suit: competing at the highest level, winning, and then refusing to accept what is offered them by China.

The public humiliation for the Chinese Communist Party — which right now no doubt expects the Games to be a diplomatic triumph — would be something. Athletes of other nations might even follow America’s lead, standing up for democracy and human rights and opposing oppression and mendacity.

The year 2022 is a delicate one for Communist China. The secretary-general of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, will be endorsed by the rubber stamp assembly for an unprecedented third term in power in Beijing. It is an old-fashioned power grab dressed up with a lot of lies and propaganda. So he and his minions would be sensitive to any international slights.

Some might object that this movement to highlight China’s human rights abuses would deprive our athletes of the medals they worked so hard to win. That might be technically true. The athletes, though, would still compete, they would still be champions, and by making a sacrifice they would have earned something even more profound than a medal: a place in history.

Mr. Biden promised during the 2020 campaign to restore America’s role in the world, to repair relations with friends and allies, and to stand up for the values that Americans hold dear. In three months he has a chance to do that in spectacular fashion. It would require persuasion, creativity, and boldness. If he starts now, Mr.Biden can win an engagement in the nascent cold war against China — without firing a single shot.

Mr. Munson is principal at BGR Group and adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

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