LONDON – Nike's Team USA track and field kit for women is needlessly revealing and sexist, women athletes have said after the American sportswear brand unveiled its outfits for the Paris Olympics.

Images made public on April 11 of the women’s kit on a mannequin, showing a very high-cut panty line, triggered criticism from several athletes for what they saw as a decision to prioritise skimpiness over function.

“They are absolutely not made for performance,” said US steeplechaser Colleen Quigley, 31.

Debate has raged for years over more revealing outfits for women Olympians in disciplines from beach volleyball to gymnastics, and some rules on competition wear are changing.

The German women’s gymnastics team wore full-length bodysuits at the Tokyo Olympics, in what they said was a stand against sexualisation in the sport. Gymnastics New Zealand updated its attire rules in March to allow women and girls to wear shorts or leggings over their leotards.

When asked, Nike did not address the brouhaha directly, but according to John Hoke, the chief innovation officer, the women’s bodysuit and the men’s shorts and top are only two of the options Nike will have for its Olympic runners.

There are “nearly 50 unique pieces across men and women’s and a dozen competition styles fine-tuned for specific events,” Hoke said.

Women will be able to opt for compression shorts, a crop top or tank and a bodysuit with shorts rather than bikini bottoms. The full slate of looks was not on hand in Paris but more will be revealed at the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee media summit in New York from April 15-17. The Paris reveal was meant to be a teaser.

Hoke also pointed out that Nike had consulted many athletes at every stage of the uniform design.

Its track and field roster includes Sha’Carri Richardson, who wore the compression shorts during the Paris presentation, and Athing Mu. 

Nike-sponsored pole vaulter Katie Moon, in a post on X, said the kit shown on the mannequin was “concerning”, but added that women athletes are given many options on what to wear, and that she prefers briefs to shorts.

A spokesperson for USA Track and Field (USATF) said: “Athlete options and choices were the driving force for USATF in the planning process with Nike.”

Quigley said Nike should also offer athletes who make the team custom tailoring to ensure the kit fits perfectly.

“Our bodies are all different and it seems silly to expect us to compete at the highest level of our sport without a properly fit uniform,” she said.

Nike said it will have tailors available for Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

Lauren Fleshman, a former US national champion distance runner and the author of Good For A Girl, added that she is “glad Nike put this image out as the crown jewel of Olympic Team design” because it may act as the catalyst for another conversation that has been long overdue.

“If you showed this outfit to someone from the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) or women’s soccer, they would laugh in your face,” she said. “We shouldn’t have to normalise it for track and field any more. Time’s up on that.” REUTERS, NYTIMES