Global sports brand Nike have officially cut ties with advocate and athlete Grace Tame over her pro-Palestinian posts on social media.
The former Australian of the Year, who received the top accolade for her work speaking for sexual assault victims, shared several posts in solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Nike released a statement on Monday stating Tame’s team were being spoken to, although it’s not been confirmed exactly what sparked the probe.
On Friday, speculation grew that the brand and Tame had split, with the athlete removing references to Nike on her Instagram profile.
A spokesperson for the brand then shared a statement confirming the end of Tame’s Nike era, writing: ‘Grace and Nike have mutually agreed to part ways’.
‘We wish Grace the best as she continues her running journey.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tame’s team for comment.
A Nike spokeswoman earlier this week told Daily Mail Australia the brand ‘does not stand for any form of discrimination, including antisemitism’.
Global sports brand Nike have officially cut ties with advocate and athlete Grace Tame (pictured in 2022) over her pro-Palestinian posts on social media
Tame, who received the top accolade for her work for sexual assault victims, shared several posts in solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing conflict with Israel
‘We take this matter very seriously and are in touch with Grace’s team to understand the matter further,’ the spokesperson said.
The 30-year-old is an ultra-marathon runner and was appointed as a brand ambassador by Nike in January.
She shared a gushing message at the time, writing: ‘I couldn’t be more excited to announce that I am officially an ambassador for Nike.
‘This has been a long time in the making.’
Prior to accepting the role – believed to be worth $100,000 – Tame had added her voice to Oxfam Australia’s demand for a ceasefire in Gaza in November 2023.
Over the last few weeks, she has been outspoken in her support of the Palestinians’ cause and joined a panel of speakers at the Feminism in the Time of Gaza forum.
At least 450 people heard from four speakers at The Edge in Federation Square, Melbourne , during the May event organised by the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN).
Tame said it was the first time she had spoken publicly about Palestine and revealed she had been asked not to speak about the Gaza-Israel conflict at several events.
In May, Tame joined a panel at the Feminism in the Time of Gaza forum with Randa Abdel-Fattah, APAN president Nasser Mashni, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, Dr. Micaela Sahhar and Jordana Silverstein (left to right)
Tame, who won the 2024 Victorian Great Ocean Road Ultramarathon (pictured), and Nike have ‘parted ways’, according to the sport’s brands spokesperson
‘Empathy should have no boundaries,’ she told the crowd.
On Monday, the same day Nike released a statement, Tame shared a quote from climate activist Greta Thunberg who is currently on board a Freedom Flotilla aid mission sailing to Gaza aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade.
‘We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,’ she wrote.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned Gaza is at risk of famine as a result of the blockade.
Last week, Tame reshared a statement on Instagram from Palestinian writer Mohammed el-Kurd.
He had criticised journalists who reported on the fatal shooting of an Israeli embassy couple in Washington DC as a ‘random anti-Semitic attack’.
Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when they were shot dead.
Elias Rodriguez, who police say shouted ‘free Palestine’ after being taken into custody, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
This is not the only topic which Tame is outspoken on, appearing at an event hosted by the Prime Minister wearing a T-shirt about media mogul Rupert Murdoch (pictured)
Tame’s has never shied away from socio-political discussion, with her Instagram handle called ‘tamepunk’ in perhaps a reference to the punk movement.
In January she came under fire for wearing an incendiary T-Shirt to a morning tea event with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon.
It featured the slogan: ‘F*** Murdoch.’
Tame has long taken issue with how her story has been portrayed in the media, particularly by News Corp, which is owned by Australian billionaire Rupert Murdoch and his family.
