Sydney Sweeney's 'Just Sports' Betting Ad Draws Criticism From Female Olympians

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus and a string of fellow athletes have criticised Sydney Sweeney over an advertisement for sports-betting company Novig.

The Euphoria actor fronts Novig's "Just Sports" campaign, in which she poses covering her modesty with sporting equipment. The company, which describes itself as a prediction market purpose-built for just sports, announced the campaign on 9 September ahead of football season, with Sweeney joining as a strategic partner Novig.

In the images Sweeney is described as "wearing just sports". Footballs, tennis rackets and basketball hoops are placed across her body, and other shots show her posing with a hockey net among the equipment Deadline.

The pushback was swift. Titmus, who swims for Australia, said on Instagram that she felt infuriated. She later called the ad "a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft", according to Australian reports.

American gymnast Gracie Kramer posted a sporting highlight reel captioned, "Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like". American diver and Olympic silver medallist Kassidy Cook liked the post and commented "This".

Australian sprinter Bree Rizzo shared her own highlights reel in response. She said women in sport is about strength, skill, dedication, resilience and confidence. Australian world champion boxer Skye Nicolson said the anger was about making a "mockery" of women in sport.

Women who work in the sports industry were also among those who expressed frustration with the campaign, according to earlier trade coverage The Hollywood Reporter. Female athletes more broadly said the ad sends the wrong message about women in sports.

Sweeney appeared to answer the criticism on Instagram Stories. She posted images of nude athletes, including Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe.

What gives this row extra context is Sweeney's last advertising controversy. Her American Eagle "great genes/jeans" ads drew criticism for promoting eugenics, meaning the idea of selective breeding applied to people.

Novig continues to host a dedicated "Novig x Sydney Sweeney" page titled "The Prediction Market for Just Sports". Neither Sweeney nor Novig has issued a formal statement addressing the athletes' complaints in the reports to date.