Hunt and other sportswomen condemn Sweeney advert

Amy Hunt hit back at Sydney Sweeney’s controversial betting advert by telling the US actress that “this is what women in sport look like”.

Sweeney’s new advert for American betting company Novig, which features the Euphoria star wearing little to no clothing and covering herself with sports equipment, has received a significant backlash from the female sporting community.

Britain’s double European individual sprint champion Hunt took direct aim at the 29-year-old after finishing fourth in the 200m final at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” Hunt said on the BBC.

“21.4 [seconds, the winning time of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden], muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears. This is a beautiful evening.”

Amy Hunt won Great Britain’s first gold medal of the European Championships with victory in the women’s 100m in Birmingham

Hunt added: “Obviously we’ve seen in the last 24 hours everything about the Sydney Sweeney ad, you know, and when you’re a woman in sport, it’s not pretty. It’s not glamorous. It’s not sexy all the time, definitely.

“There’s some low moments. Even turning up to this championship, my period started yesterday, so that’s not really ideal, and that’s not ever what you try to really plan for.”

Hunt was not alone in voicing her criticism of the advert.

Former US Olympic gymnast Gracie Kramer posted a video of her competing with the caption: “Idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing but this is what a woman in sport looks like.”

Australian boxer Skye Nicolson also wrote on Instagram: “There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sport compared to using sex to sell ‘sport’.”

Sweeney, in a possible response to the criticism, posted a series of images from ESPN Magazine’s BODY Issue which included nude images of the likes of Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe to her Instagram stories.