Kate Bock, Jasmine Sanders, and Olivia Culpo are the 2020 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models

SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief MJ Day said in a statement: “These three women who make up the 2020 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue are inherently unique but a solidarity exists among them in terms of their ambitions, goals and what they stand for.”

Kate, 27, Jasmine, 29, and Olivia, 28, were photographed by Yu Tsai in Bali, Indonesia, between November and March.

And MJ said the team had “no idea” at the time about what the “times that lay ahead” with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests.

She added: "When we wrapped our final shoot on March 5, we had no idea of the magnitude of the unprecedented times that lay ahead. Like many brands we have paused, listened and will continue to evolve and learn. Now more than ever it's extremely important to feel a part of a community, to rally behind each other and to support those around you who are trying to create impactful change.”

MJ also heaped praise on each of the cover models individually, praising Kate - who hails from Canada - for being an “advocate for mental health and wellness”, American model Olivia for her work in creating masks in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and German-American star Jasmine for being a champion of “social justice”.

She explained: "Jasmine has single-handedly built an amazing career for herself with sheer determination and focus, and is now using her well-established social media platforms to advocate for social justice.

“Olivia is a multi-faceted businesswoman who most recently created MoreThanAMask, a line of fashion masks created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to Feeding America.

“This year marks Kate's eighth appearance in the issue. Beyond her extensive work as an advocate for mental health and wellness, she has played a pivotal role as a creative and business-savvy collaborator for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit brand. These women are limitless, unstoppable and collectively represent the next wave of moguls to come out of the franchise.”

Alongside the three cover models, the 2020 SI Swimsuit edition also features Anita Marshall, Anne DePaula, Brooks Nader, Camille Kostek, Caroline Marks, Courtney Conlogue, Danielle Herrington, Emily DiDonato, Haley Kalil, Halima Aden, Hunter McGrady, Hyunjoo Hwang, Josephine Skriver, Kelsey Merritt, Kim Riekenberg, Lorena Duran, Malia Manuel, Marquita Pring, Myla Dalbesio, Olivia Brower, Robin Holzken, Samantha Hoopes, Valentina Sampaio and Vita Sidorkina.

The 2020 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is on sale July 21.