Sydney Sweeney’s latest advertising campaign has escalated into a major controversy in the sports world, with Olympic medallists, professional athletes and sporting personalities criticising the actor’s appearance in a provocative promotion for sports prediction platform Novig.

The campaign, which features Sweeney using sports equipment to cover her body while posing with different sporting props, was released on September 9.

Within days, the advertisement moved from a celebrity marketing campaign to a wider debate over the representation of women in sport.

Here is the complete timeline of how the controversy unfolded.

September 9: Novig launches the campaign

Novig released its ‘Just Sports’ campaign featuring Sweeney in a series of sports-themed scenes. The actor appears with little or no clothing while holding or posing with equipment associated with sports including basketball, football, tennis, baseball and hockey.

Sweeney is not simply a conventional brand ambassador. Reports have identified her as a strategic partner and equity holder in Novig, which operates in the sports prediction market.

September 10-11: Advertisement goes viral

The campaign quickly spread across social media, generating tens of millions of views and putting Novig in front of a much larger audience.

According to reports, the advertisement crossed more than 22 million views within its first two days.

The rapid circulation also brought criticism, with debate shifting from Sweeney's appearance to the use of a sexualised image in a sports-related advertisement.

September 13: Athletes begin responding

American gymnast Gracie Kramer was among the first athletes to publicly respond.

She posted a montage of herself competing and training, contrasting her sporting activities with Sweeney's campaign.

Her post helped trigger a wider response from female athletes, many of whom began sharing their own competition and training footage while questioning the portrayal of women in the advertisement.

September 13-14: Olympic athletes join the backlash

Four-time Olympic champion swimmer Ariarne Titmus became one of the most prominent critics.

She said she was infuriated by the campaign and argued that it was disrespectful to women who had dedicated their lives to sport.

Other athletes, including Australian water polo Olympian Tilly Kearns, swimmer Lani Pallister, British cyclist Sophie Capewell and boxer Skye Nicolson, also criticised the campaign.

The criticism focused largely on what athletes described as the sexualisation of women in sport and the contrast between the advertisement and the physical work involved in elite competition.

September 14: Amy Hunt brings the controversy into athletics

British sprinter Amy Hunt addressed the campaign immediately after finishing fourth in the women's 200m final at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

Hunt ran a season-best 22.10 seconds and, speaking after the race, directly referenced Sweeney and said the performance represented what women in sport look like. Winner Melissa Jefferson-Wooden clocked 21.47 seconds.

Hunt's comments gave the controversy a direct link to an elite sporting event rather than leaving it solely as a social-media dispute.

September 14-15: Athlete-led response gathers momentum

The backlash developed into a wider social-media response, with athletes posting footage of themselves competing, training and performing.

The posts sought to shift attention towards athletic ability, preparation and achievement. Reports said hundreds of athletes subsequently drew inspiration from Kramer's original response.

Among those publicly associated with the criticism were Titmus, Hunt, Kramer, Capewell, Kearns, Pallister, Nicolson and several other athletes from cycling, athletics, swimming, gymnastics and other sports.

September 15: Australian sporting figures enter the debate

The controversy also expanded beyond individual athletes.

Australian sports figures and organisations joined the conversation as the campaign continued to attract criticism.

The Australian Institute of Sport shared material highlighting women in sport, adding an institutional dimension to the debate.

Former Olympic skier and Australian politician Zali Steggall also criticised the campaign, arguing that the advertisement used sexualisation to attract young men to a gambling-related platform.

September 15: Sweeney appears to respond

Sweeney did not issue a detailed public statement addressing the athletes' criticism.

Instead, she appeared to respond through Instagram by sharing images of athletes who had previously posed nude or semi-nude for sports-related magazine features.

Among the athletes referenced were Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird.

The response opened another line of debate over whether nude imagery involving professional athletes in editorial sports projects should be compared with a celebrity advertisement promoting a sports prediction platform.

September 15-16: Debate moves beyond Sweeney

As the backlash continued, the controversy increasingly became a discussion about sports marketing, women's representation and the growing prediction-market industry.

Novig has defended the campaign, while Sweeney has continued to be associated with the project as a strategic partner and equity holder.

Meanwhile, athletes opposing the advertisement have continued using social media to highlight their own sporting achievements.

What began as a September 9 advertising launch has therefore developed, within a week, into a wider sports-industry controversy involving Olympic athletes, professional competitors, sporting organisations and a rapidly growing sports prediction company.