Sydney Sweeney has found herself at the centre of a fresh advertising controversy after a campaign for US sports prediction company Novig drew criticism from Olympic athletes and other women in sport.

The campaign features Sweeney in minimal to no clothing while posing with or mock-playing different sports. Deadline described the concept as Sweeney “wearing just sports”, with sporting equipment including footballs, tennis rackets and basketball hoops used as part of the imagery. The campaign quickly shifted from celebrity advertising chatter to a wider debate about the sexualisation of women’s sport.

According to The Guardian, “Novig’s ads show the actress in different stages of undress and trying her hand at a variety of sports, leading athletes to complain that the marketing cheapens women’s sport by reducing it to appearance over athleticism.”

What is the Sydney Sweeney Novig ad controversy?

The core of the controversy is not simply that Sweeney appears scantily dressed in an advertisement. The criticism from athletes centres on the decision to use sexualised imagery while selling a product directly connected to sport.

For several prominent sportswomen, the campaign struck a nerve because they believe it presents a version of women in sport that has little to do with the training, physical demands and competitive achievements that define their careers.

Australian swimming champion Ariarne Titmus was among the strongest critics.

“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” the four-time Olympic gold medallist wrote on Instagram. She called the campaign “a kick in the face” to women who had dedicated themselves to their sport and questioned why “monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport” remained part of advertising.

Her criticism helped turn what might otherwise have remained a celebrity advertising debate into a broader conversation about how female athletes are represented.

Female athletes answer with “this is what a woman in sport looks like”

Rather than limiting their response to criticism of the advertisement, a number of athletes began posting their own sporting footage.

American gymnast Gracie Kramer shared a highlights reel accompanied by the message: “Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.” Deadline reported that the post attracted nearly a million likes at the time covered in its report, with Olympic diver Kassidy Cook among those supporting it.

The idea spread.

Australian Olympic swimmer Lani Pallister posted footage of her training, racing and medals. Sprinter Bree Rizzo also shared career highlights, while the Australian Institute of Sport joined the response with material featuring archery, gymnastics, boxing, softball and sports science.

The posts effectively reframed the controversy. Instead of focusing only on Sweeney, athletes used the moment to show what women’s sport actually involves: competition, strength, preparation and years of work.

British sprinter Amy Hunt took the argument directly into a post-race interview. After competing at the Ultimate Championships, she told the BBC: “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like.”

Hunt then pointed to the reality behind elite performance: “Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears.” She added that sport is not always “pretty”, “glamorous” or “sexy”.

Why athletes say the issue is bigger than appearance

World champion boxer Skye Nicolson offered one of the clearest distinctions in the debate.

She argued that there is nothing wrong with athletes looking good or embracing femininity. Her objection was to using sexual imagery to sell sport.

“There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport compared to using sex to sell ‘sport’,” Nicolson wrote. She added that women can embrace femininity while also being serious athletes.

Australian sprinter Bree Rizzo made a similar point, writing that women in sport are about far more than appearance, highlighting “strength, skill, dedication, resilience” and confidence.

That distinction has become central to the backlash. The athletes criticising the campaign are not arguing that sportswomen should avoid glamour or sexuality altogether. Their objection is to using a sexualised presentation of women as a substitute for the substance of sport itself.

Is Sydney Sweeney only the face of the Novig campaign?

That question has also become part of the discussion.

Some social media users suggested criticism should be aimed primarily at Novig, the company behind the campaign, rather than at Sweeney personally. However, The Guardian reported that Sweeney’s involvement goes beyond appearing in the advertisement, citing a Novig statement that described her as a “strategic partner and equity holder”.

That detail has added another layer to the debate because it suggests Sweeney has a commercial relationship with the company beyond a conventional celebrity endorsement.

Deadline reported that both Sweeney and Novig had been approached for comment. It also said Sweeney appeared to respond to the criticism through Instagram Stories by sharing images of nude sports figures, including Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe.

Why the Sydney Sweeney ad backlash has become a wider women’s sport debate

The reaction has moved beyond whether one advertisement is provocative.

For the athletes speaking out, the dispute touches on an old tension surrounding women’s sport: whether female competitors are valued first for what they achieve or for how they look.

The response has been unusually visual. Athletes are not merely issuing statements. They are posting races, training sessions, medals, physical preparation and competitive moments as a direct counterpoint to the campaign.

That is why the Sydney Sweeney Novig controversy has gained traction well beyond entertainment circles. It sits at the intersection of celebrity marketing, sports betting and prediction markets, the representation of female athletes and the continuing debate over sexualisation in women’s sport.

The criticism is also not uniform in its target. Some responses focus on Sweeney, others on Novig, while several athletes have used the episode simply as an opportunity to redirect attention toward sporting achievement.

What is clear from the reaction so far is that the campaign has produced a conversation far larger than the advertisement itself.

For Titmus, Hunt, Nicolson and the athletes joining the “this is what a woman in sport looks like” response, the argument is fundamentally about who gets to define the image of women’s sport: advertisers using sport as a backdrop, or the women whose careers are built inside it.

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