The unveiling of Nike's uniforms for Team USA track and field Olympians drew pro runners, Olympic hopefuls and fans to take notice of the women's one-piece suit, which features an unusually high cut on the legs, on social media. sparked controversy.
“This is clearly a joke,” two-time Paralympian Femita Ayanbek wrote under the uniform post on Instagram. “I'm someone's mother, so I can't expose myself like that. Where are my pants!?”
The men's design included in the first look promotional photo features shorts that hit mid-thigh on the mannequin.
At a Nike event to unveil Team USA gear in Paris on Thursday, sprinter Shakari Richardson and hurdler Anna Cockrell modeled other apparel options, including a two-piece set and a bodysuit with compression shorts. Served.
According to the New York Times, Nike's chief innovation officer, John Hawk, said there will be “nearly 50 unique items for men and women, and more than a dozen competition styles tweaked for specific events.” He said there is.
Here is 2023 100m World Champion Shakari Richardson in her new Nike Olympic Team USA team uniform. https://t.co/83xlsLbIGw pic.twitter.com/jCm72sgbCS
— CitiusMag (@CitiusMag) April 11, 2024
Two-time world mountain running champion Grayson Murphy said of the women's bodysuit that was included in the first look promotional photo: “The gore is disturbing.”
Similarly, two-time national champion distance runner Lauren Fleshman also ripped up her uniform in a post on her Instagram account.
“Professional athletes must be able to compete without having to constantly be on guard for their genitals or devoting their brain space to mental gymnastics that expose every vulnerable part of their body. “It has to be something that helps performance both physically and mentally. If this outfit really benefits physical performance, men will wear it too,” Fleshman said.
The post goes on to say, “This is not an elite sports kit for athletics. This is a costume born of patriarchal power, and bringing attention to women's sports is no longer welcome and necessary.” There is no.”
Players representing other countries also sympathized with this design. Canadian hurdler and two-time Olympian Sage Watson wrote, “Yeah, that's a no for me,” while British long jumper Abigail Irozulu wrote on her Instagram Story, “I'm on this team. Were there any female athletes you consulted with?'' she shared a photo of the uniform with the caption. kit? ! ? “
The cut of women's suits wasn't the only design aspect that athletes took issue with. Sprinter Britton Wilson, the American indoor record holder for the 400-meter dash, asked, “Why is the font comic sans?” at the bottom of an Instagram post. Irotsuru also pointed out that “these women's colors are a replica of the current British Athletics uniforms.”
Nike did not immediately respond. The AthleticThis is a comment request from .
The 2024 Paris Olympics will be held from July 26th to August 11th, with track and field competition starting on August 1st.
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(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)
