Female Athletes Shame Sydney Sweeney's Nude Novig Ad as Olympian Says 'This Is What Women in Sport Look Like'

Sydney Sweeney has found herself at the centre of another advertising storm after female athletes around the world hit back at her provocative Novig campaign, with British sprinter Amy Hunt delivering the line that quickly became the rallying cry: 'Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like.'

The backlash has seen Olympians and professional sportswomen flood social media with footage of themselves training, competing and pushing their bodies to the limit, arguing that women in sport should be recognised for their strength and achievements rather than their appearance.

Amy Hunt Turns Her Race Into a Message

Hunt delivered her pointed response immediately after finishing fourth in the 200m final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. Looking into the camera, the British sprinter said: 'Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,' before pointing to the performance around her and describing it as 'muscles, hard work, blood, sweat, tears'.

Her comments quickly spread online as other sportswomen joined the conversation. Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus described the campaign as 'a kick in the face' to women who have spent years dedicating themselves to sport, while questioning why women's bodies continue to be sexualised in sporting contexts.

Former gymnast Gracie Kramer also shared footage of female athletes competing and training alongside the message that this is what a woman in sport looks like. Her post reportedly attracted more than one million likes, helping turn the criticism into a much wider social media movement.

Sweeney's Novig Ad Sparks the Controversy

The dispute began after Sweeney appeared in Novig's 'Just Sports' campaign, which launched on 9 September. The actress appears with sports equipment strategically covering her body while promoting the sports prediction platform.

Novig said the campaign was designed to focus attention on sports and described it as confident, humorous and playful. Sweeney is also a strategic partner and equity holder in the company, making her involvement more substantial than a conventional celebrity endorsement.

The campaign quickly went viral, with reports saying the advert attracted more than 22 million views during its first two days. That attention, however, brought an equally rapid backlash from women competing at elite levels.

In the podcast commentary provided for this story, host Brett Cooper took a sharply different view of the criticism, arguing that the advert was promoting a sports prediction platform rather than representing female athletes.

She questioned why professional sportswomen were connecting the campaign to their own experiences when Sweeney was appearing as an entertainer and business partner.

Athletes Say the Problem Goes Beyond Sweeney

For the athletes criticising the campaign, however, the issue is not simply Sweeney appearing nude or semi-nude.

Sophie Capewell, the Olympic cycling gold medallist, asked followers to imagine a world where sexualised representation was not the dominant way women in sport were presented. Rugby player Sofie Fella similarly argued that female athletes can provide role models by showing young women what determination and physical achievement look like.

The Female Athlete Project also criticised the campaign, arguing that sport has historically treated women's bodies as commodities and that the advert did little to challenge that pattern.