US Female athletes have criticized Nike’s Team USA track and field suit for women as overly exposing and sexist, following the unveiling of the sportswear brand’s clothes for this summer’s Olympic Games.
“This is not an elite athletic kit for track and field. This is a costume born of patriarchal forces”
Images released on Thursday of the women’s kit on a mannequin, revealing a very high-cut panty line, sparked criticism from numerous athletes for what they regarded as a decision to prioritize skimpiness over function. “They are absolutely not made for performance,” US steeplechaser Colleen Quigley said in a message to Reuters.
Lauren Fleshman, the US national champion in the 5000m in 2006 and 2010, offered even harsher comments in an Instagram post, writing:
“I’m sorry, but show me one WNBA or NWSL team who would enthusiastically support this kit. This is for Olympic Track and Field. Professional athletes should be able to compete without dedicating brain space to constant pube vigilance or the mental gymnastics of having every vulnerable piece of your body on display. Women’s kits should be in service to performance, mentally and physically. If this outfit was truly beneficial to physical performance, men would wear it.”
She added: “This is not an elite athletic kit for track and field. This is a costume born of patriarchal forces that are no longer welcome or needed to get eyes on women’s sports. … Stop making it harder for half the population @nike @teamusa @usatf.”
Tara Davis-Woodhall, a United States athlete who finished sixth in the long jump at the Tokyo Games and silver at last year’s global championships, reacted similarly, writing, “Wait my hoo haa is gonna be out.”
Nike’s track and field kits for men and women contain roughly 50 garment pieces and 12 competition designs for specific events
For years, there has been debate about more exposing clothing for female Olympians in disciplines ranging from beach volleyball to gymnastics, and certain rules on competition wear are changing.
Germany’s women’s gymnastics team donned full-length bodysuits to the Tokyo Olympics, citing a desire to combat sexualization in the sport. Gymnastics New Zealand last week changed its dress code to enable women and girls to wear shorts or leggings over their leotards.
Nike told Reuters in an email that for these Olympics, athletes will be able to choose between a brief and a short unitard, whereas it only offered the brief for the Tokyo Olympics.
Nike’s track and field kits for men and women contain roughly 50 garment pieces and 12 competition designs for specific events, according to the brand’s release.
In a post on X, Nike-sponsored pole vaulter Katie Moon expressed concern about the outfit featured on the mannequin but added that women athletes have numerous options for what to wear and that she preferred briefs to shorts.
A spokesperson for USA Track & Field said: “Athlete options and choices were the driving force for USATF in the planning process with Nike.”
Athing Mu, a US middle-distance runner, and Sha’Carri Richardson, a US sprinter, were among the athletes who modeled Nike’s Olympic uniforms at the Paris launch event. Richardson wore shorts instead of briefs.
According to Quigley, Nike should also provide special tailoring to players who make the team’s uniforms to guarantee that they fit precisely. “Our bodies are all different and it seems silly to expect us to compete at the highest level of our sport without a properly fit uniform,” she said.
Nike informed Reuters that tailors will be accessible for Olympic and Paralympic participants this year.
