The United Nations’ human rights office has strongly criticized the racist insults directed at tennis star Coco Gauff and urged for unity in combating racism and sexism. High Commissioner Volker Turk’s office denounced the offensive online messages aimed at Gauff, highlighting the disturbing trend of targeting Black female athletes with vitriolic racial abuse.
Gauff, a prominent two-time Grand Slam winner currently ranked fourth, disclosed receiving a barrage of racist comments on social media following a contentious moment in her China Open match against local player Sun Xinran. Subsequently, Gauff suffered a defeat to Elise Mertens, citing extreme fatigue and feeling on the verge of collapsing.
In response, the United Nations’ human rights office emphasized the unacceptable nature of racial and sexist slurs in sports, urging players, coaches, sports organizations, and fans to unite against such attacks and reject any form of racism and sexism tarnishing the world of sports.
