US track and field star Allyson Felix - here in 2017 - has criticized Nike's treatment of female athletes who take time off for pregnancyLOS ANGELES - 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 said Nike had offered her a new deal worth 70 percent less than before. However Felix said that when she requested guarantees that she would not be penalized if she performed below her best "in the months surrounding childbirth," Nike baulked. "I wanted to set a new standard," Felix wrote. 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."

Source: Bangkok Post May 23, 2019 00:22 UTC