US officials are standing by the Paris Olympic kit designed by Nike, asserting that athletes have various choices available to them.
United States track and field athletes will have multiple kit options to choose from for the Olympics, officials said Sunday, following criticism over one skimpy design for the Paris games that has been branded “sexist.”
A number of athletes have criticized a leotard uniform unveiled by Nike during a launch event last week showcasing Olympic kits.
The leotard features a high-cut pantyline which has triggered a wave of criticism from US athletes past and present.
Former US national 5,000m champion Lauren Fleshman decried the design in an Instagram post, saying it was unsuitable for competition.
“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,”
Fleshman wrote.
“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.”
United States track and field athletes will have multiple kit options to choose from for the Olympics, officials said Sunday, following criticism over one skimpy design for the Paris games that has been branded “sexist.”
U.S. track and field athletes have around four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics.
The USATF added that athletes had also been consulted during the development of the Olympic uniforms.
US sprint star and 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson took part in Thursday’s Nike launch event in Paris wearing a version of the kit that included shorts.
