• Ennis-Hill: ‘I was worried they would tear up my contracts’
• Heptathlon champion wants funding for mothers guaranteed
Jessica Ennis-Hill has warned that women feel under pressure not to have children during their sporting careers because they fear they could lose their sponsors and says all brands should promise in writing not to penalise athletes if they get pregnant.
The London 2012 heptathlon champion’s intervention comes after what she said were “shocking” revelations about how Nike had treated some of its athletes after they had children. Last week Allyson Felix, the most decorated female runner in Olympic history, said the company had wanted to pay her 70% less after she gave birth last year, while another former Nike athlete Jo Pavey revealed she had felt “punished” for having her first child in 2009.
Written by Sean Ingle
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/28/jessica-ennis-hill-female-athletes-pregnancy-sponsors under the title “Jessica Ennis-Hill calls for end to sponsors’ pressure over pregnancy”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
