Boss of betting firm behind controversial naked Sydney Sweeney ad finally breaks his silence on scandal

The CEO of the betting company that showed a provocative naked Sydney Sweeney advert has finally responded to the backlash it has caused.

Novig chief Jacob Fortinsky has been at the center of a culture war over the past 48 hours, after a number of top female athletes spoke out against the sexualization of women in sports and claimed that it misrepresented them.

Sweeney herself has lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers in the storm, previously putting her head above the parapet to claim: 'The campaign was about embracing a fun idea.'

Now, the man behind Novig has had his say, rejecting the criticism and insisting that people have got the wrong end of the stick with regards to the premise of the commercial. 

'As a company, we're hugely supportive of women's sports,' he began in an interview with Front Office Sports. 'We never intended to portray female sports.

'Sydney's an actress. We're a prediction market that is focused on sports, and that was the story she was communicating.'

The one-minute clip shows Sweeney completely nude, only covered by varying pieces of sporting equipment, including basketballs and footballs. 

In fact, Fortinsky has even insisted that it was Sweeney who was 'driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging', further distancing himself from the controversy.

British sprinter Amy Hunt is among the top female sports stars to speak out against the advert, first using her live postrace TV interview to rip into the promo.

She then appeared on Good Morning Britain, where she doubled down on her views and highlighted the potential dangers of Sweeney's actions. 

'When we're trying to provide role models for young people and young women in sport, we really want to show that it's about what your body can do, not so much what it looks like,' she said. 

'When we see the stats that 64 per cent of young girls drop out of exercise and sport before they reach the age of 16, we don't need to place any kind of barrier whatsoever in their way in terms of providing the opportunity and the empowerment for them to still exercise, whatever that looks like, whether it's professional or just going to do a park run with your friends. 

'So it's about empowering young girls and young women and young people to show that you really can just get out there and you don't have to worry what you look like. You don't have to worry about what you're wearing.'

It is not the first time an advertising campaign featuring Sweeney has sparked fierce backlash. 

Last year she starred in a controversial American Eagle jeans commercial which some deemed racist due to a pun linking 'jeans' and 'genes'.

The label's campaign featured the tagline: 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.'

'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour... my genes are blue,' she said in an accompanying video.

In the fallout, critics of the advert said it promoted eugenics, while US President Donald Trump showed his support for the actress and the brand.

Sweeney told GQ that she found it 'surreal' that the scandal grew so big as to attract attention from the White House.

She said: 'I did a jean ad... I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans.

'All I wear are jeans. I'm literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.' 

Critics accused the brand of echoing eugenicist language around 'good genes' and 'genetic superiority', claiming it appealed to Right-wing and white-nationalist groups online.

In August, American Eagle defended the campaign, insisting it 'always was about the jeans – her jeans, her story.'