Nike Contracts to Add More Protection for Pregnant Athletes and New Moms – runnersworld.com

• After several professional runners criticized Nike for not protecting pregnant athletes and new mothers, the company announced this week that it will eliminate performance requirements for up to 18 months for athletes who decide to have a baby.
• The announcement comes just two weeks after former Nike runner Allyson Felix, a vocal supporter of pregnant athletes’ rights, signed a new contract with Athleta.

Last month, just days after placing 6th overall in the 400 meters at the USATF Outdoor National Championships, nine-time Olympian and new mom Allyson Felix announced she was signing a new sponsorship deal with Athleta.

The contract was Felix’s first since she publicly split from Nike, her former sponsor, whom she alleged did not offer enough protections to sponsored athletes who are pregnant.

“As women and athletes, we experience the joys and challenges that come with being both,” Athleta wrote in a letter to Felix when the contract was announced. “It’s why we promise to support you—as an athlete, a mother, an activist—as you continue to break records, break barriers, and break the silence.”

Over the past year, Nike has received backlash not only from Felix, but also from other professional runners such as Kara Goucher and Alysia Montaño, both of whom became pregnant while on contract with Nike, and suffered a loss in paychecks and health insurance during that time, according to an op-ed Montaño wrote for the New York Times.

Phoebe Wright, a runner sponsored by Nike from 2010 through 2016, was quoted in the article as saying, “Getting pregnant is the kiss of death for the female athlete. There’s no way I’d tell Nike if I were pregnant.”

This week, John Slusher, executive vice president of global sports marketing for Nike, issued a letter to Nike-sponsored athletes announcing that the company has updated its policy supporting athletes through pregnancy.

According to the letter, which was tweeted by ESPN analyst Emmanuel Acho and dated August 12, Nike contracts now include this addendum: “If ATHLETE becomes pregnant, NIKE may not apply any performance-related reductions (if any) for a consecutive period of 18 months, beginning eight months prior to ATHLETE’s due date. During such period NIKE may not apply any right of termination (if any) as a result of ATHLETE not competing due to pregnancy.”

Following the published outcries from professional runners earlier this year, Nike announced in May that it was eliminating athletes’ performance requirements for 12 months should they become pregnant, according to Bloomberg. The new clause will protect pregnant athletes for an additional six months (18 months total), presumably allowing new moms to spend more time with their children without feeling pressure to immediately start training and racing again.

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According to Sports Illustrated, female athletes and their representatives should soon receive written confirmation reaffirming Nike’s official pregnancy policy for elite athletes.

Digital Editor Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, and now she reports on elite runners and cyclists, feel-good stories, and training pieces for Runner’s World and Bicycling magazines.