Allyson Felix Unveils Free Nursery for Olympic Athletes
Between 2004 and 2020, Allyson Felix racked up 11 Olympic medals, becoming the most decorated US track and field athlete of all time. Despite her incredible achievements, having it all often felt out of reach. “I felt like I had to win all the medals and do everything before I could even think about starting a family,” Felix told NPR.
Even after Felix opened herself up to growing her family in 2018, the challenges of postpartum recovery, high childcare costs and a lack of mom-and-child-friendly spaces at the Olympics made balancing motherhood and athletics difficult. So, when Felix retired in 2022, she made it her mission to show moms that not only could they succeed in both roles, but she’d also be there to provide them the support they needed.
After chartering free childcare programs for athletes in 2022, Felix has now taken her advocacy to the biggest sports stage on earth—The Olympics. In partnership with Pampers, all athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics will have free access to the first-ever Pampers Nursery in the Olympic Village. The nursery will offer a space for Olympic moms to bond with, nurse and play with their babies, helping to alleviate some of the pressures of competition.
“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,” Felix told CBS Mornings. “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.”
Felix says that the Pampers Nursery is just the starting point and that she’s looking forward to growing these initiatives to help athlete moms realize their dreams. “I think we are moving in the right direction,” Felix said. “We’ve pushed to be in a better place, and I think we are seeing so many amazing athlete mom role models for the younger ones to look to and I hope that we just continue to find ways to better support these women.”
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