Nike criticized for ‘revealing’ women’s Team USA outfits for Paris 2024 Olympics
Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Nike has released apparel that athletes will wear during the event, but they have faced criticism for their women’s Team USA products. Nike used body scanning technology and motion in order to create apparel for all competing athletes, and has released designs that are unique to each country and sport.
It’s the first time that Nike has done this ahead of the Olympics, but with just two months to go, they’ve faced major backlash from past and present women’s U.S. athletes.
For the track and field women’s athletes there are concerns that the outfits are too revealing, something that former world champion runner Lauren Fleshman was upset with. She made an Instagram post condemning the apparel, calling it “disrespectful”.
In an interview with The Times, she said: “It’s absurd. The amount of vigilance required to wear something like that, much less on a global stage when you’re trying to be unselfconscious and free to push your limits and not be worrying about every movement of your body. It’s honestly disrespectful.
Fleshman went further in her Instagram post, slamming Nike for shaming half of the population. “I’m sorry, but show me one WNBA or NWSL team who would enthusiastically support this kit,” she wrote. “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... Stop making it harder for half the population @nike @teamusa @usatf.”
Although Nike is yet to comment on the latest criticism, Janett Nichol, vice president of apparel innovation at Nike, believes that the new releases will actually be a defining moment and change the scene. Nichol also revealed in an interview with CBS Sports that they gathered insights from athletes when designing the outfits.