'Imagine a world where women are seen for what they can do not just what they look like': Athletes from across cycling speak out against sexualised depiction of women in sport

Female cyclists from across the sport have spoken out after a sports betting website released an advert featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, mostly undressed.

Riders have criticised the advert, in which the Euphoria actress appears mostly naked, alongside assorted pieces of sporting equipment.

Olympic champion Sophie Capewell posted a video on Instagram, with Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift's reigning champion Demi Vollering, gravel rider Maddy Nutt and Team Confidis later following suit.

"I'm sure you've seen Sydney Sweeney's ad, but imagine a world where women are seen for what they can do not just what they look like," Capewell's social media video implored, with text over the track sprinter working out, training and racing.

"[Imagine a world where] it's cool to be an athlete, it's good to be strong, where sexualised representation isn't the most popular way of seeing women in sport," the text reads.

Posting the video, Capewell, an Olympic gold medallist and world champion, wrote: "This isn’t really about Sydney Sweeney. It’s about what gets attention and why."

Women from a wide range of sports have spoken out against the advert. American gymnast Gracie Kramer appeared to start the trend by posting a similar montage, stating: "I don't know what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what women in sport look like."

The advert, for American sports prediction brand Novig, went viral over the last week, and has faced immediate criticism. British athletics track sprinter and four-time European champion, Amy Hunt, told the BBC "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like", after finishing fourth in the 200m at the Ultimate Championships. She added: "en you’re a woman in sport, it’s not pretty. It’s not glamorous. It’s not sexy all the time, definitely."

Sweeney has joined the brand as a "strategic partner and equity holder".

"I think it's quite powerful, the amount of women who've come out and said something," Capewell told BBC Sport . "It's giving a very specific picture of women around sport and I think that's the challenging thing. Why is that the face of the campaign that is associated with sport?

"And that's the way you want to portray a woman, instead of it having, I don't know, an athlete or anything else that's more sport-centric.

"It's not necessarily that people are upset with someone having autonomy, it's the fact that that seems to be the only narrative that is directed around women in sports, or that's what gets more popularity."

Several others cyclists and teams have since shared similar videos.

Gravel racer Maddy Nutt, who finished second at Unbound XL, posted footage of her racing through muddy, tough conditions, with the words "this is what a female athlete looks like.

"No glitz, glamour or sexualisation. Pure grit, determination, mud, sweat and tears."

She added: "We've fought for years to give women's sport the respect it deserves. We work hard to show other young women what being a female athlete is. Women's sport is finally being taken seriously! Please don't undermine that."

Reigning Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner, Demi Vollering posted a video alongside an extended caption.

"Maybe it’s good that [the ad] started a conversation. But it’s also sad that women still need to have this conversation," she noted, adding, "for a very long time, women have fought to be seen for what they can DO, not only for how they look. And I think many women are simply tired of that."

The  FDJ United–Suez rider added: "Sport can teach us something completely different about our bodies. Not: How do I look? But: What can I do? How strong can I become? How fast can I go? What can I achieve with this body?"

Vollering added that sending healthy messaging was particularly important for young girls, who often "drop out during their teenage years."

"I want sport to be a place where girls can worry a little less about how their body looks and discover what their body can do, she stated.

Team Confidis also posted a video montage, depicting women in sports as "a teammate, a friend, who inspires others or helps them shine. Someone who pursues her dreams with passion and isn't afraid to own her ambitions."