Australian sprinter Amy Hunt has voiced serious concerns that a recent advertising campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney could act as a deterrent for young girls who might otherwise be inspired to take up sport. The ad, produced for U.S.-based betting firm Novig, shows the Euphoria star scantily clad, draped only in sports equipment, and has sparked a wave of criticism from women athletes and advocates for female participation in sport. Hunt, who placed fourth in the 200‑metre race at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest last weekend, responded directly to the commercial on the morning television programme Good Morning Britain. She told the host that the image presented in the advert does not reflect the reality of women in sport.
"When we try to give young people, especially young women, role models in sport, we want to highlight what the body can achieve, not merely how it looks," she said. The sprinter highlighted a troubling statistic: roughly 64 percent of girls stop exercising or participating in organised sport before they turn sixteen. "We cannot afford to add any extra obstacles that might discourage them from staying active," Hunt argued. "Whether a girl wants to train professionally, join a local club, or simply run a Parkrun with friends, the focus should be on empowerment and opportunity, not on appearance." She continued, "Sport is not about looking pretty.
It’s about pushing limits, dealing with setbacks, and sometimes feeling uncomfortable. The journey to elite performance can be messy – you might vomit on the track after a grueling session, or you might find yourself in tears after a hard workout.
Those moments are part of the story, and they don’t need to be sanitized for the sake of a marketing gimmick." Hunt’s comments were echoed by several other high‑profile athletes. Former U.S. Olympic gymnast Gracie Kramer posted a video of herself training with the caption, "I don’t know what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sport looks like." Australian boxer Skye Nicolson added on Instagram, "There’s a huge difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you’re an athlete and using sexuality to sell sport." In what appeared to be a defensive move, Sweeney shared a series of images from ESPN Magazine’s BODY Issue on her Instagram stories. The issue is known for featuring nude portraits of athletes such as Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe, celebrating the diversity of bodies that excel in sport.
By aligning herself with these images, Sweeney may have been attempting to reposition the conversation around body positivity rather than sexualisation. Hunt believes that the collective response from women in sport has already shifted the narrative away from the advert itself.
"The reaction has almost outweighed the moment," she said. "The first thing I saw were the countless positive compilations of women in sport that flooded social media.
It became less about the actress and more about the broader conversation about how we represent female athletes." She stressed that the backlash is not a personal attack on Sweeney, but rather a critique of the intention behind the ad. "It’s about the message being sent, not the individual delivering it. The discussion has moved into a space where we can celebrate women’s sport in a variety of ways, without resorting to sexualised imagery that can alienate the very audience we want to inspire." The incident has reignited a long‑standing debate about the portrayal of female athletes in advertising.
While some argue that using attractiveness can draw attention to sports, many athletes contend that it reinforces harmful stereotypes and detracts from the athletic achievements themselves. Studies have shown that when marketing focuses on an athlete’s performance rather than their appearance, it can lead to higher participation rates among young women.
In addition to the immediate criticism, the controversy may have broader implications for betting companies and other brands that sponsor sports. As regulators increasingly scrutinise the ethical dimensions of advertising, especially in relation to minors, companies may need to rethink how they align their campaigns with the values of the sporting community. For Hunt, the episode serves as a reminder that role models matter. She urges governing bodies, schools, and media outlets to prioritize stories that showcase perseverance, skill, and the joy of sport, rather than superficial aesthetics.
By doing so, they can help keep girls engaged in physical activity beyond the teenage years, counteracting the alarming dropout rate. Ultimately, the dialogue sparked by the Novig advert has opened a valuable space for athletes, fans, and marketers to reflect on the purpose of sport imagery. It underscores the need for authentic representation that empowers, rather than alienates, the next generation of female athletes.