All-star sprinter Allyson Felix, the most decorated track-and-field athlete in history, has become almost as well known for her motherhood advocacy off the track as she has for her sporting prowess. She’s proving that yet again at the upcoming Paris Olympics, where she is teaming up to provide a nursery for athlete moms to use during the games, allowing them to bring their babies with them.
Felix, who is not competing in the Olympics for the first time in 20 years, teamed up with Pampers to create the first ever Pampers Nursery in the Athletes Village, where moms can spend time with their children during the games.
“I just knew how difficult it was to compete at the top level after I had my daughter, and some practical things were really hard. And so when I joined the Athletes Commission of the IOC, I really wanted to be that voice for athlete moms, and just take away one less thing for them to worry about in the pressure of competition,” she said. “I think it really tells women that you can choose motherhood and also be at the top of your game and not have to miss a beat.”
READ: Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix proves motherhood doesn’t hold women back
After becoming a mom herself, Felix became a fierce advocate for other athlete moms. She spoke openly about her previous partnership with Nike, saying the company tried to force her to take a 70% pay cut when she was pregnant. When she requested a guarantee that she wouldn’t be punished for performing at a lower level while pregnant and postpartum, Nike refused.
“I’ve been one of Nike’s most widely marketed athletes,” she wrote. “If I can’t secure maternity protections, who can?” Felix left her partnership with Nike, and since then, has become one of the strongest voices pointing out that motherhood does not hold women back from being extraordinary athletes.
In 2021, she created a child care fund for athlete moms competing in the Tokyo Olympics, securing $200,000 in grant money to cover child care costs for qualified female athletes, most of whom did not have corporate sponsorship. She also launched her own shoe line, Saysh, which includes a maternity-friendly return policy. As women’s feet can grow and change during pregnancy, if a woman needs a different shoe size for their Saysh Ones due to pregnancy, they can receive another pair for free. They are all examples of the steps Felix is taking to create a better world for athlete moms… and for her daughter, too.
“Becoming a mom — it shifted my focus to thinking about this world that my daughter will grow up in,” she previously told Romper. “I don’t want her to have the same battle. [Motherhood] gave me that final bit of push that I needed and helped me find my voice so that I could speak on these very important issues.”
