A report by Kevin Draper for The New York Times<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n

As part of the deal, Athleta, the new sponsor, has agreed to back a post-Olympic exhibition tour that Biles was already planning.<\/p>\n

Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast ever, has signed an agreement to represent the women\u2019s clothing brand Athleta and is leaving Nike, her longtime sponsor, just three months before the Summer Olympics begin in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

The deal, announced Friday, also includes arrangements for Athleta to fund a post-Olympic gymnastics exhibition tour organized by Biles that will represent a direct financial challenge to U.S.A. Gymnastics, the sport\u2019s national governing body.<\/p>\n

In interviews, Biles suggested she felt better aligned with the values of Athleta, a division of the clothing retailer Gap, than with those of Nike. \u201cI think they stand for everything that I stand for,\u201d\u00a0she said of Athleta to The Wall Street Journal<\/a>, which first reported the agreement.<\/p>\n

Over the past several years Nike has faced a number of scandals over how it treats female employees and sponsored athletes. Women have spoken up about a\u00a0toxic atmosphere<\/a>\u00a0at Nike\u2019s headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., and\u00a0<\/strong>about sponsorship contracts that\u00a0penalize athletes who become pregnant<\/a>. Also a Nike coach was accused of\u00a0verbally abusing female runners<\/a>\u00a0and was suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.<\/p>\n

Biles joined a trickle of athletes who recently left Nike. This week, the estate of\u00a0Kobe Bryant<\/a>, the Los Angeles Lakers star who died in a helicopter crash last year, allowed his contract with the company to expire, and his widow, Vanessa Bryant, said she would pursue a new deal.<\/p>\n

By sponsoring Biles\u2019s Gold Over America Tour, Athleta provides financial muscle for her to more directly undercut U.S.A. Gymnastics, an organization that\u00a0she has repeatedly said cannot be trusted<\/a>\u00a0given its failure to keep girls and women safe from Lawrence G. Nassar, the national team doctor who was convicted on multiple counts of sexually abusing athletes. A spokeswoman for U.S.A. Gymnastics, which traditionally organizes a tour after the Olympics, said the organization had no such plan for this year.<\/p>\n

Athleta will also develop an activewear line with Biles, who will collaborate with the company\u2019s design team. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is more than just a sports apparel sponsorship,\u201d said Mary Beth Laughton, Athleta\u2019s president. \u201cWe really view it as a way to support Simone in her full life. As she takes on the next stage in her career in Tokyo and beyond, we really want to support that as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biles originally signed with Nike in 2015, shortly after she turned professional and won the individual all-around title at the world championships. She represented Nike at the\u00a02016 Olympics<\/a>, where she won five medals, including four golds. She is a favorite to add to her medal haul at the Tokyo Games. It is widely believed that this will be the final Olympics for Biles, 24, though she\u00a0recently suggested<\/a>\u00a0that she might compete at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur contract with Simone Biles has ended, and we wish her the very best,\u201d a Nike spokesman, Josh Benedek, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

At Athleta, Biles will join the track sprinter Allyson Felix, a fellow American who has won nine Olympic medals and who was also sponsored by Nike for several years. Felix signed with Athleta in 2019, shortly after participating in a\u00a0blistering video<\/a>\u00a0that criticized Nike for financially penalizing athletes who became pregnant. Nike\u00a0changed its policies<\/a>\u00a0shortly afterward.<\/p>\n