The United Nations' human rights office has issued a formal condemnation of racist and sexist abuse directed at American tennis player Coco Gauff, emphasizing that such targeting represents a broader pattern of discrimination against Black female athletes in professional sports.
Volker Türk, the UN's high commissioner for human rights, released a statement on Saturday through the office's social media channels describing the online messages sent to Gauff as
"appalling and illustrate that Black female athletes are specifically targeted for vitriol and racial abuse".
The abuse emerged following a controversial moment during Gauff's match against Chinese player Sun Xinran at the China Open on Monday. Gauff, who holds a world ranking of No. 4 and has won two Grand Slam titles, posted about the incident on social media last week, drawing attention to the treatment she received.
The impact on Gauff's performance became evident in her subsequent match two days later against Elise Mertens, which she lost. Gauff attributed the defeat to her emotional and physical state, stating she had
"no energy"and felt as though she would pass out during the contest.
What responsibility do sports institutions bear?
The UN's human rights office stressed that eliminating discriminatory behaviour requires action across multiple levels of the sports ecosystem.
"There is no place in sport for racial or sexist slurs and abuse,"the office stated, before outlining the specific roles that different stakeholders must play in addressing the problem.
"Players, coaches, and sports bodies need to stand up for those facing such attacks and fans need to push back against those who sully sport with racism and sexism."
Key Facts
- Coco Gauff is ranked No. 4 in the world and has won two Grand Slam championships
- The racist abuse followed a disputed point in her China Open match against Sun Xinran on Monday
- Gauff lost her next match to Elise Mertens, citing emotional exhaustion and physical distress
- The UN human rights office called for coordinated action from players, coaches, sports organisations, and fans to combat racism and sexism in sport
