Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has taken aim at the “hate, racism and blame” for Covid-19 towards the Asian community, calling it “disgusting”. Osaka, who is due to start the Australian Open in Melbourne on Monday, called out the behaviour she has seen in a post on her Twitter account on Sunday. “The amount of hate, racism, and blame for COVID towards the Asian community is disgusting,” she wrote, saying that she had stumbled across it on her Instagram account. “The fact that this topic is not very widely covered makes me concerned. I only found videos and information because I was scrolling through my IG feed and by some algorithm it appeared.” The amount of hate, racism, and blame for COVID towards the Asian community is disgusting. The fact that this topic is not very widely covered makes me concerned. I only found videos and information because I was scrolling through my IG feed and by some algorithm it appeared. — NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) February 7, 2021 In a follow up tweet the 23-year-old, whose mother is Japanese and father is Haitian, called out racism toward Asians in general. “And while I’m here- saying “Ching Chong” and “shrimp fried rice” when talking about/to a Asian person isn’t cool. You aren’t funny, it’s not a joke and you’re beyond pathetic.” Naomi Osaka and Lewis Hamilton vow to carry on fight for social justice Osaka has previously spoken about social causes close to her heart, wearing masks with the names of African Americans who had died at the hands of the US police or racist violence on her way to winning the US Open last year. She is not the only athlete to point out anti-Asian discrimination since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Last March Jeremy Lin took then US President Donald Trump to task for calling Covid-19 the “Chinese virus” and “empowering racism”. And while I’m here- saying “Ching Chong” and “shrimp fried rice” when talking about/to a Asian person isn’t cool. You aren’t funny, it’s not a joke and you’re beyond pathetic. — NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) February 7, 2021 “I wish you would powerfully support the vulnerable people that will suffer due to our mismanagement of this virus, including those that will be affected by the racism you’re empowering,” Lin replied to a tweet by Trump. “Can you honestly tell me there is ZERO anti-Chinese sentiment in all his characterisations of the virus? Can you honestly tell me Asians aren‘t being unfairly physically attacked today in the US?” he wrote in another tweet. Chinese Super League side Wuhan Zall were snubbed by European football teams last January when they spent preseason in Spain while Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean star Son Heung-min was targeted for racial abuse over Covid-19.
