Nike’s US Olympic team outfits will need ‘constant pube vigilance’ argues frustrated women athletes

Track and field stars are calling out Nike’s ultra-revealing athletic attire after the brand revealed its designs for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Wait, my hoo haa is gonna be out,” wrote Tara Davis-Woodhall, a long jump athlete who participated in the 2020 Olympics, on social media.

Sha’ Carri Richardson models Nike’s US Olympic track and field attire. (Nike)

Queen Claye, an American hurdler who competed in the 2008 Olympics also chimed in.

“Hi @europeanwaxcenter would you like to sponsor Team USA for the upcoming Olympic Games?! Please and thanks”.

The heavily-critiqued design features a thin high-rise brazilian cut panty line that competitors say wasn’t created with performance in mind. The designs were revealed in Paris on Thursday and modeled by Athing Mu, a middle-distance runner and Sha’Carri Richardson, a sprinter.

Lauren Fleshman, a national champion runner in 2006 and 2010, did not hold back when speaking about the outfit on social media.

“I’m sorry, but show me one WNBA or NWSL team who would enthusiastically support this kit”, she wrote on Instagram.

“This is for Olympic Track and Field. 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.

“If this outfit was truly beneficial to physical performance, men would wear it. 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.

“I’m queer and I’m attracted to female bodies but I don’t expect or enjoy seeing female athletes or male athletes put in a position to battle self-consciousness at their place of work. This is not part of the job description.”

In a statement to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the USA track and field team said, “Athlete options and choices were the driving force for USATF in the planning process with Nike”. Nike told Reuters that it would have tailors available for the team this year.

Additionally, athletes will have unitard options with briefs and shorts. The line of outfits includes 50 apparel pieces and 12 competition styles.

Some countries are opting for more conservative choices as the debate about revealing sports outfits heats up. In New Zealand, gymnastics athletes can now wear shorts or leggings over their leotards. At the Tokyo Olympics, Germany’s women’s gymnastics team wore full-length bodysuits.

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