July 2, 2021 | less than a minute read

Olympic Athletes No Longer Have To Choose: Breastfeed or Compete?

Michael Best

I'm so inspired by the incredible Olympic female athletes who continue to break through barriers, now as working moms who no longer have to choose between competing and nursing their infant children. Ensuring the workplace is a welcoming environment for mothers is critical to all employers' success and to bringing companies one step closer to achieving gender equity. It was a long time coming for Olympic athletes -- let's work on getting all U.S. women greater access to nursing-friendly workplaces.

"Given that the Tokyo 2020 Games will take place during a pandemic, overall we must unfortunately decline to permit athletes' family members or other companions to accompany them to the Games," said the organization in a statement. "However, after careful consideration of the unique situation facing athletes with nursing children, we are pleased to confirm that, when necessary, nursing children will be able to accompany athletes to Japan."