Elite athletes from around the globe joined Nike to unveil the newest Nike Air footwear and crew kits on the “Nike On Air” occasion on the Palais Brongniart in Paris earlier this month.
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Elite athletes from around the globe joined Nike to unveil the newest Nike Air footwear and crew kits on the “Nike On Air” occasion on the Palais Brongniart in Paris earlier this month.
Nike
Nike revealed a spread of new kinds and silhouettes for elite athletes final week forward of the 2024 Olympics, however one article of clothes has raised controversy.
A bodysuit that seems to be lower excessive on the hips is one of many choices for Team USA’s track and area. Athletes and followers have criticized the design, saying that the outfit seems uncomfortable and revealing.
Complaints additional mounted after Citius Mag, an internet journal that covers track and area, launched a side-by-side comparability of the lads’s and women’s uniform — with critics discovering the huge variations deeply problematic.
In response to the criticism, Nike mentioned feminine runners should not restricted to the leotard and that the new line provides almost 50 kinds to select from, together with shorts.
“We showcased some of the new Olympic uniforms at the Nike On Air experience in Paris — but, as we are a few months from the Games and working with limited samples in a limited format presentation, not all looks and styles were featured,” a Nike spokesperson mentioned in an e-mail.
The firm added that it took feminine athletes’ consolation particularly significantly, which is why it raised the neckline for tops.
USA Track and Field mentioned its athletes have been consulted all through the design course of. “Athlete options and choices were the driving force for USATF in the planning process with Nike,” the USATF mentioned in an announcement.
Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, mentioned she helps athletes having choices. “I think that’s important. We want to make sure athletes have choices that they’re comfortable in,” she informed reporters.
The backlash comes lower than two months after Nike was scrutinized over its new uniforms for Major League Baseball gamers, which some mentioned seemed see-through and of poor high quality.
This time, Nike’s designs have been caught within the long-running discourse over sexism in women’s sports activities apparel.
U.S. nationwide champion distance runner Lauren Fleshman mentioned the track and area package particularly displayed on the model lacked the professionalism that prime women athletes deserve.
“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 wrote on Instagram.
On social media, some followers requested if the model outfit was for swimming occasions. Others expressed concern that the match will sexualize sportswomen, given the uniforms’ lack of protection.
Pole vaulting Olympic gold medalist Katie Moon mentioned whereas the uniform was troubling, she is in favor of feminine athletes having extra choices quite than much less in the case of apparel.
“Even if its with best of intentions, you’re ultimately attacking our decision as women to wear it,” Moon wrote on Instagram. “The point is we DO have the choice of what to wear, and whether we feel the best in a potato sack or a bathing suit during competitions, we should support the autonomy.
Before the backlash, Nike mentioned the uniforms have been the “most athlete-informed, data-driven and visually unified the company has ever produced.” The garments have been tailor-made to help a spread of physique sorts and sports activities disciplines whereas maximizing breathability, Nike Chief Innovation Officer John Hoke mentioned in a press release Thursday.
Nike additionally plans to supply customized tailoring on the video games.