American actress Sydney Sweeney is facing sustained criticism from female Olympians and world champions over a nude advertisement for the sports betting platform Novig, with athletes arguing the campaign reduces women's sport to a marketing device built on sexualisation rather than achievement. The advert, in which Sweeney poses with minimal clothing alongside sporting equipment, was released days after the actress, who holds an equity stake and strategic partner role at Novig, defended it as a "playful" concept.

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Athletes call the ad a step backwards

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus of Australia was among the most direct critics, writing on Instagram that the advert felt like "a kick in the face" to every woman who has built a career through dedication to her sport. She questioned why monetising a woman's body through sexualised imagery of sport remains acceptable.

World champion boxer Skye Nicolson, also from Australia, said the campaign made a "mockery" of women in sport, drawing a distinction between an athlete choosing to look confident while competing and a brand using sex to sell sport itself.

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Canadian skier Cassidy Gray, who competed at the 2026 Winter Olympics, responded on TikTok, describing the campaign as "idiotic" and pointing to the broader pattern of female athletes being sexualised rather than taken seriously or given equal opportunity to their male counterparts.

British sprinter Amy Hunt addressed the advert directly in a BBC interview following her race at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like," she said. "Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears."

Hunt went further in a later appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain, warning that the advert risks becoming a barrier for young girls considering taking up sport. "When we're trying to provide role models for young people and young women in sport, we really want to show that it's about what your body can do, not so much what it looks like," she said.

UK athlete Lucy Davis, in a post liked by actress Florence Pugh, called for an end to the sexualisation of women in sport, while the Female Athlete Project, a community platform for women in sport, said the advert compressed "so much misogyny" into a short commercial and argued it does nothing to support women competing at elite level.

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The advert and Sweeney's response

In the campaign, Sweeney repeats the phrase "Novig is just sports" while using footballs, a baseball bat, a hockey stick and a tennis racket to cover herself, before adding a line ruling out betting on "wars or deaths" or "politics." Sweeney said the campaign was designed to "cut through the noise" and put focus on sport itself, describing it as bringing that idea to life "with confidence, humour and a playful edge."

Following the criticism, Sweeney posted covers from ESPN Magazine's The Body Issue on her Instagram Story, referencing past nude sports photography featuring athletes including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey and Megan Rapinoe. More than 200,000 users have reportedly unfollowed her account since the advert's release.

Source: Euronews

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