The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will take place amid sagging credibility of the Olympic movement itself and ahead of a divisive American presidential election. The Games will occur during awakenings to gender equity and sexual abuse. They will happen during a rise of nationalism around the world. And they will come at a time when athletes seem to have more willingness and access than ever to express their thoughts on politics, social issues and human rights.

So when the top United States Olympic official on Tuesday sent letters to two American athletes who protested the national anthem at the recent Pan American Games in Peru, placing both on 12 months’ probation, she also included a warning to prospective Olympians about making political gestures at the Summer Games next year. But trying to silence athletes in Tokyo might be futile when some feel more emboldened than ever to speak out.

The letters sent this week, from the chief executive of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Sarah Hirshland, went to the hammer thrower Gwen Berry, who raised her fist during the national anthem, and the fencer Race Imboden, who knelt on the medal podium.

Such wrist slaps might become more consequential if repeated, Ms. Hirshland suggested in her letters, which seemed intended for a broader audience.