Sydney Sweeney’s Naked Sports Betting Ad Ignites Backlash From Olympic Athletes: ‘Stop Sexualizing Women in Sport’

Sydney Sweeney appears to be at the center of another controversy involving a commercial.

The “Euphoria” actress recently stripped down for a steamy new ad for sports trading app Novig, going nude and covering parts of her with a variety of sports equipment. But not everybody is overjoyed by sports’ new naked cheerleader.

Over the weekend, just days after the ad dropped, several athletes took to social media to speak out against the campaign, which they accused of sexualising women’s sports.

“I don’t know wtf Sydney Sweeney was doing, but it’s 2026,” wrote British athlete Lucy Davis. “Stop sexualizing women in sport.”

Meanwhile, Ariarne Titmus, a former Australian swimming champion and four-time Olympic gold medal winner, wrote: “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.”

Titmus added: “Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is – teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity. How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”

The backlash prompted many female athletes to post their own footage alongside messages about what sports actually looks like.

Among them was American gymnast Gracie Kramer, who posted an highlight reel, now with more than a million likes, with the caption: “Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.”

In a TV interview, British sprinter Amy Hunt, who became a four-time European champion earlier this summer, raised the ad after running a season’s best in the 200m final at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” she told the BBC immediately following the race.

In reference to Melissa Jefferson-Wooden’s winning time of 21.47 seconds, the fourth fastest ever over the distance, Hunt added: “21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears,” before adding: “When you’re a woman in sport, it’s not pretty. It’s not glamorous. It’s not sexy all the time, definitely.”

Meanwhile, water polo Olympic silver medallist Tilly Kearns succinctly wrote: “I absolutely fking hate Sydney Sweeney’s new sports ad.”

In a statement on the Novig website, Sweeney said: “The campaign was about embracing a fun idea. The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”

The star also appeared to respond to the backlash by posting to her Instagram story a series of covers from the ESPN Body Issue, which featured naked athletes.

The Novig commercial comes just over a year following American Eagle’s hugely controversial “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” campaign,” which prompted a wave of criticism for appearing to use the language of eugenics. In a now-deleted video, Sweeney said: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Months after the American Eagle ad, Sweeney responded by saying she was “surprised by the reaction” and that she was “against hate and divisiveness.”