Australian Olympians, led by Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, condemn US actor Sydney Sweeney’s new sports advertisement for what they describe as sexualised messaging. Titmus and other athletes publicly call the campaign inappropriate, using terms such as “an absolute joke,” and say it fuels a broader problem of how women’s sport is portrayed.
Multiple outlets report the criticism focuses on the impact such ads may have on public perceptions of women in sport. The reports reference Sweeney’s campaign for Novig, with athletes arguing it risks undermining women’s achievements by centring appearance over athletic performance. While all the coverage highlights the athletes’ anger, the outlets differ slightly in emphasis—some foreground Titmus’s direct quotes, while others focus more on claims that the advertising sets women’s sport “backwards.”
