British sprinter Amy Hunt criticized American actress Sydney Sweeney for a nude advertisement promoting the prediction market company Novig, which focuses solely on sports betting. After finishing fourth in the 200m final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hunt directed her criticism towards Sweeney during an interview, highlighting the stark contrast between Sweeney’s ad and what she perceived as true representation of women's sport achievements. Other female athletes, including Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns and American gymnast Gracie Kramer, echoed similar sentiments on social media, expressing their dissatisfaction with Sweeney’s advertisement.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Sydney Sweeney, an American actress known for her roles in "Euphoria" and "The Housemaid," faced widespread criticism after a controversial sports gambling advertisement went viral on September 9th. The ad, promoting the company Novig, features Sweeney nude but partially covered by various pieces of sporting equipment, with captions like “Think you know sports? Prove it” and “You can trade on this.” This ad garnered nearly 39 million views within a few days.
Female athletes across different disciplines reacted strongly against the advertisement. British sprinter Amy Hunt, who won four European championships earlier in summer and finished fourth at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 200m final, told BBC Sport, "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like," referring to hard work and dedication rather than sexualized imagery. Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic medalist, called the ad “a kick in the face” on Instagram.
The ad sparked debates about how women in sports are portrayed and objectified, with athletes emphasizing their achievements over physical appearance. Kramer, an American gymnast who has faced similar issues, echoed Hunt's sentiments, aiming to uplift women in sports and remind them of their worth beyond objectification.
Written for “Sports Betting Ad Controversy” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 9045 · logged 2026-09-14
A British sprinter has lashed out at Sydney Sweeney over her risqué commercial.
asserted
sprinter → lash → commercial
Amy Hunt fired direct shots at the “Euphoria” star after she finished fourth in the 200m final at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, after Sweeney went fully nude for an ad for the prediction market Novig.
asserted
Sweeney → fire → Novig
“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women’s sport looks like!” Hunt said, staring straight at the camera after American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the race.
asserted
Wooden → look → race
Sweeney did the ad for the sports prediction market company, telling viewers they can trade on multiple sports, while also covering her private parts with props from that sport.
“You can trade on this,” Sweeney said in the scintillating ad with two footballs covering their chest.
asserted
footballs → do → chest
Australian Olympic water polo star Tilly Kearns also wrote on Instagram that she “absolutely f–king hated” Sweeney’s new advertisement.
asserted
she → write → advertisement
American gymnast Gracie Kramer also was left fuming by the commercial.
asserted
Kramer → leave → commercial
“Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing but this is what a woman in sports looks like,” Kramer wrote on Instagram.
asserted
Kramer → idk → Instagram
Sweeney has apparently heard the detractors, though.
asserted
Sweeney → hear → detractors
The superstar actress has posted on her Instagram story multiple pictures of athletes posing nude for a variety of different media obligations.
asserted
athletes → post → obligations
Sweeney posted nude images of Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey and Sue Bird to go along with Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, and more as they posed with little or no clothing for ESPN’s Body magazine.
asserted
they → post → magazine
She posted her own naked images in a post on Sunday to celebrate gameday in the NFL.
asserted
She → post → NFL
The post has over 2 million likes in less than 20 hours of time on the social media platform.
asserted
post → have → platform
Sweeney apparently approached Novig to close the advertising deal, as she is now an equity partner in the company.
asserted
she → approach → company
Novig’s appeal over bigger competitors like Polymarket and Kalshi is that it focuses only on sports.
asserted
it → focus → sports
“She said, ‘I’m uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what color underwear I’m going to wear,’” Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky said in an interview.
asserted
Fortinsky → say → interview
