Nike invests in future of women’s sport

Nike has invested in the future of women’s sport by launching a new initiative aimed at nurturing more meaningful relationships with athletes.

The Nike Athlete Think Tank has 13 founding members that include Ada Hegerberg, Angela Davis, Bebe Vio, Dina Asher-Smith, Deyna Castellanos, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Nafissatou Thiam, Sabrina Ionescu, Scout Bassett, Serena Williams, Shalane Flanagan, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Simone Manuel.

Tanya Hvizdak, Nike VP for women’s global sports marketing, said: “Nike has a long history of supporting its female athletes in and out of competition. Throughout the past year, Nike leadership invited athletes to the table and asked for their unfiltered feedback.

“We opened up the conversation to hear their insights and help inform where we can be better. We specifically asked how they believe sport can move the world forward, how we can help break barriers to sport, and how we can better leverage their input and ideas.”

In addition to sharing their experience and insight, Nike said the athletes emphasised the financial aspect of creating access to sport and the importance of bringing everyone, especially athletes with disabilities, into inclusion initiatives. They also spoke about valuing purpose as much as performance and many reflected on the challenges and barriers they faced along the way.

They also helped identify community organisations around the world that Nike, in partnership with Charities Aid Foundation America, will fund for $1.3 million across 20 grants on their behalf.

“We initiated the Nike Athlete Think Tank to turn insights into action,” said Whitney Malkiel, global VP/GM of Nike Women. “Our greatest strength has always been our partnerships with the world’s best individual athletes. For the first time, we’ve united a collective of female icons that span across sports and countries to help us shape strategies that will improve the experience of all girls and women in sport.”