By AFPMore by this AuthorLOS ANGELESOlympic track and field star Allyson Felix joined a chorus of recent criticism against Nike on Wednesday, accusing the US sporting goods giant of penalising female athletes who took time off to have a child. Felix, the only female track and field athlete to win six Olympic gold medals, wrote in the New York Times she had been offered a vastly reduced contract by Nike since taking time off in 2018 during her pregnancy. Felix said Nike had offered her a new deal worth 70 percent less than before. "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: Daily Nation May 23, 2019 07:18 UTC