Kylie's bum is fine but Jade needs to keep 'em guessing

Jade Johnson is a rising star of British sport. Last year she won silver medals in the long jump in both the Commonwealth Games and European championships and finished sixth in the world rankings. She is widely tipped to become the best female athlete British athletics has produced since Denise Lewis or Paula Radcliffe. Not that I would know any of this from the bumph sent out last week by the publicity machine that is her shoe sponsor.

In an invitation and accompanying PR materials received from the Adidas press office, there was barely a mention of Johnson's athletic prowess, let alone her medal-winning successes. The pitch? That she would be available for an interview at Crystal Palace stadium where she would quite willingly be photographed in the buff. She would be snapped, it said, completely starkers save for a pair of the latest 360-degree ventilation, air-conditioned trainers but would be "naked in a tasteful sporting sense of course".

Now I am no prude, nor do I find images of naked women degrading or offensive. I spend as much time admiring pictures of Kylie's bottom and Liz Hurley's lack of clothing as the next person. But those are women for whom aesthetics is their USP and in some cases their only discernible attribute. Johnson and others like her have infinitely more to offer. Athletes have stupendous bodies as a consequence of their enormous talent; looking good is a by-product of their ability to compete.

So why is it that marketing people seem intent on getting successful sportswomen who also happen to be attractive to drop their drawers? And why do so many agree to do it?

In defence of her saucy shots for this month's GQ, Gabby Logan says that, at the end of the day, she just wants to be taken seriously. Surely donning a pair of skimpy hotpants and a few sequins is not the way to do it.

Logan said she had full editorial control over the pictures and, whereas the photographer wanted her in her underwear, she wanted to wear a burka. Clearly he came out on top.

Logan is witty, clever and utterly professional in her role as presenter of On the Ball. Indeed, she will slip easily into Des Lynam's shoes when he eventually retires. Having overcome the difficulties that must face a smart, blonde woman in her profession, she has more than proven her credibility. So why risk destroying it?

One suspects that Logan might live to regret that photo shoot in the same way Denise Lewis eventually rued the day she agreed to appear naked bar a coat of red, white and blue body paint in Total Sport magazine. Lewis resented the "babe" tag she was saddled with afterwards and spent years trying to shake it off. She also criticised others, such as Anna Kournikova, for being little more than a pretty face and projecting the wrong image of women in sport.

Which brings me to the Frost twins, Kathryn and Bryony, who feature on the cover of this month's British Runner magazine and who are no strangers to tabloid coverage. The "Frosties", as they are known, are unquestionably pretty 19-year-old runners who show promise in their sport but are by no means the most outstanding of their age. Their most noteworthy achievement is ranking first and second in the UK junior women's 2,000m steeplechase, an event which does not gain international recognition for another two years. But solely on their blonde-haired, blue-eyed good looks, it seems, these two have bagged themselves a lucrative contract with Adidas.

No one can blame them for cashing in on the attention. But serious questions must be raised when regular members of the British team without sponsorship struggle to afford their own trainers and kit.

Glamour and sex have always been a part of sport and one will always help to market the other. But flogging yourself in all your glory will eventually result in leers and sneers. "Sex appeal is 50% what you've got and 50% what people think you've got," said Sophia Loren. By far the sexiest women in sport or anywhere are those who keep their kit on, keep their dignity and keep 'em guessing.