Ariarne Titmus slammed for calling out Sydney Sweeney’s skimpy Novig ad, faces online hate

Eight-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus was hit with a flood of hateful comments online after she publicly condemned actress Sydney Sweeney’s revealing ad for US sports‑prediction platform Novig. Titmus said the commercial, in which Sweeney was underdressed while wearing sports gear, was "an absolute joke" and "the furthest thing from sport." She posted on social media that she felt "infuriated" and called the ad a "kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft." The swimmer also noted that the backlash included thousands of hateful messages alongside many supportive ones from fellow athletes. Speaking to The Sydney Herald, Titmus said she received both support and a "lot of messages of support" and "thousands of comments and messages of hate," describing the reaction as "unfortunate" and surprising. Despite the negativity, she said she would speak out again, adding that she felt lucky in her career and that many of the abusive accounts were likely bots.

Context

The episode shows how female athletes can be targeted with online abuse when they challenge gender‑biased marketing, a pattern seen in many sports‑related controversies.