Munich, Moscow, now Beijing - to boycott or not

trade sanctions on any country that opposes the CCP's actions (including Australia),

the destruction of Hong Kong democracy through the repression of any opposition to the CCP;

the CCP's constant threat to take over democratic Taiwan, having never accepted the nationalists moving there after their defeat in the Chinese civil war in 1949;

and the CCP's claim on nearby territory in violation of international agreements and borders, including the disputed reefs and islands in the South China Sea where the CCP takes fishing and economic rights from other nations while building military bases, and has endeavoured to take territory from India on that border.

I agree that Western democracies (led by the US) should draft a plan for massive sanctions, including action against companies who trade with China, albeit this would be the last cog in Western retaliation against the CCP given the serious impact it will have for the global economy.

While many Western national governments may not force their national sporting bodies to boycott international competitions, they can encourage opposition.

It is worth noting that a potential boycott by 22 national signatories expressing concern about China's Xinjiang abuses during 2019 alone would have a major impact if they refused to attend the Winter Olympics.

Including eight of the ten nations that have won 75% of all Winter Olympic Games medals ever awarded, the 22 countries were Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (UK).

Boycotts can have an effect.

For example, under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress's long struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa understood the power of sport to help isolate a racist government from the rest of the world.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, pressure on the international community led to South Africa being banned from FIFA, the Olympics, international cricket and later rugby union, a reality that annoyed the many sports loving white fans perhaps more than economic sanctions.

While sanctions were lifted from the time Mandela's release from prison in 1990 to his election as president more than four years later, it was made clear to the reformist government of FW De Klerk that a No vote for the democracy referendum would mean that South Africans would not be watching their athletes at cricket or football World Cups or the Olympic Games.