Eleven-time Olympic medalist and sprinter Allyson Felix is at the Games in Paris this summer, but this time to deliver a different kind of win: the launch of the first-ever Olympic Village nursery.
The mother of two partnered with Pampers to create a comfortable and convenient place for athletes to spend time with their children in between competitions. The nursery includes toys, books, and a breastfeeding space, and is part of the International Olympic Committee’s efforts to make sure that parents feel supported as they compete.
Felix, who returned to competition after her first child Camryn was born in 2018, wished that she had a space like this when she was going for gold. “I took her everywhere that first season, and it was really hard in ways that I didn't expect,” Felix tells Marie Claire.
The idea for the nursery came to Felix while she was serving as an athlete representative on the IOC Athletes’ Commission, and she questioned: “How can we better support our athletes with children?” The CEO and founder of Saysh, a company that crafts sneakers shaped to the unique contours of a woman's foot, couldn’t believe that something like this didn’t already exist.
“It’s not rocket science, it’s 2024 and we’re just doing this? We need more voices who are mothers who are women. I was elated we were able to get this in place in time,” she says.
It’s not rocket science, it’s 2024 and we’re just doing this? We need more voices who are mothers who are women.
It certainly is about time—especially as we’re seeing an increase in performance ages of female Olympic medalists. Which means that while motherhood may have knocked women out of sports in another era, these days they continue to compete—and win. But it also means that the system needs to change to meet their needs as parents.
This isn’t the first time that Felix has spoken up on behalf of women and mothers. In 2019, she published a highly praised op-ed for The New York Times about her experience with former sponsor Nike, which ultimately triggered the brand to create a new maternity policy for all sponsored athletes, guaranteeing their pay and bonuses for 18 months around pregnancy. Beyond that, she’s spoken in front of Congress about the racial disparities in maternal health, and her company Saysh offers a first-of-its-kind return policy for women who may experience a change in their shoe size while pregnant.
When it comes to taking care of parents during the biggest moment in sports, Felix sees the Paris nursery as a jumping off point. As a member of the LA28 Organizing Committee Athletes’ Commission, Felix envisions full childcare and extending the nursery to more ages. This year’s installment is meant to provide the comforts of home, with cozy furniture, including couches and soft play areas, and focuses mostly on babies (naturally, it’s loaded with Pampers diapers). But the reality is that athletes have children of all ages. “This progress gives me confidence that going into Los Angeles in 2028, we can grow it even more,” she says.
