Sydney Sweeney faces backlash after controversial sports advert

Sydney Sweeney is facing a lot of criticism over her new sports advert but the actress hit back at the people who are attacking it.

The 29-year-old actress appeared naked in the advert for sports betting company Novig.

She posed behind different sports equipment, with the advert showing sports such as tennis, basketball, baseball and American football.

The advert, however, quickly got a big talking point online as some people liked it, but some women in sport were not happy with it.

They felt the advert was making women’s sport about women’s bodies instead of their hard work.

England cricketer Lauren Bell shared a video criticising the advert whereas British sprinter Amy Hunt also spoke about it after her race in Budapest.

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

She then spoke about the hard work of athletes, saying: “21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears. This is a beautiful evening.”

Sweeney later responded by sharing pictures of athletes who have also posed without clothes in adverts.

Retired swimmer Ariarne Titmus also criticised the campaign.

“How do we live in a world where monetising a women's body and sexualising women's sport is still a thing?” she wrote.

Sweeney owns part of Novig and the company says she came up with the idea for the advert herself.