Track star Felix criticizes Nike maternity policy

Olympic track and field star Allyson Felix joined a chorus of recent criticism against Nike on Wednesday, accusing the US sporting goods giant of penalizing female athletes who took time off to have a child.

Felix, the only female track and field athlete to win six Olympic gold medals, wrote in the New York Times she had been offered a vastly reduced contract by Nike since taking time off in 2018 during her pregnancy.

The 33-year-old former 200m Olympic champion spoke out after US team-mates Alysia Montano and Kara Goucher levelled similar allegations against Nike as part of an investigation by the Times last week.

"They told stories we athletes know are true, but have been too scared to tell publicly: If we have children, we risk pay cuts from our sponsors during pregnancy and afterward," Felix wrote in the Times.

"It's one example of a sports industry where the rules are still mostly made for and by men."
"I wanted to set a new standard," Felix wrote. "If I, one of Nike's most widely marketed athletes, couldn't secure these protections, who could? Nike declined. We've been at a standstill ever since."
"This isn't just about pregnancy," she wrote. "We may stand behind the brands we endorse, but we also need to hold them accountable when they are marketing us to appeal to the next generation of athletes and consumers."
Nike last week responded to the criticism by vowing to implement a new policy which standardized the treatment of female athletes during pregnancy while recognizing that the company "can go even further."