GB sprinter Amy Hunt amongst athletes to criticise controversial Sydney Sweeney sports advert

‘This is what women in sport look like’

The controversial ad features Sweeney naked but she is seen using various pieces of sporting equipment to cover parts of her body.

Many female athletes have criticised the way it sexualizes women in sport, and that sportswomen are now being defined by their looks rather than their achievements.

Sprinter Amy Hunt, who earlier this summer became a four-time European champion, referenced the advert after she ran a season's best 22.10 seconds to finish fourth in the 200m final at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Sunday.

In her post-race interview with BBC Sport, 24-year-old Hunt said: “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like.”

Amy Hunt of Team GB at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship on September 13, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. Credit: Getty Images

How the trend of reactions against Sweeney’s ad started

The backlash for the ad featuring Sydney Sweeney has included many other athletes from a range of sports posting videos of themselves competing or training.

It was American gymnast Gracie Kramer who started the trend, as she posted a montage of herself training.

She captioned the clip: “I don't know what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what women in sport look like.”

Meanwhile, Ariarne Titmus, Australia's four-time Olympic swimming champion said: “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.”

“How do we live in a world where monetising a woman's body and sexualising women's sport is still a thing?”

Others who chimed in were British cyclist and Olympic champion Sophie Capewell MBE, rugby players Lisa Neumann and Ellie Boatman and Australian water polo Olympian Tilly Kearns .