This Spanish Tennis Player Apologized After She Pulled The Racist Slant-Eye Gesture With Chopsticks While In China
Paula Badosa initially defended the photo, saying she was just "playing around with my face and wrinkles", adding that she loved Asia and had plenty of Asian friends.
Spanish tennis player, Paula Badosa, has apologized after she shared a photo of her pulling the racist slant eye gesture with chopsticks after being defeated at a competition in China.
The 26-year-old tennis player, who is currently ranked no. 15, competed in the China Open in Beijing, reaching the semi-finals before being defeated by US tennis player Coco Gauff on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Following her defeat, Badosa’s coach shared a photo on Instagram where she was seen pulling her eyes with a pair of chopsticks.
In the comments, people accused Badosa of racism.
She initially defended the photo and wrote in a since deleted comment, “I never thought it would get interpreted this way. I wasn’t trying to imitate Asian people, I was just playing around with my face and wrinkles.”
She added that she loved Asia and had plenty of Asian friends.
However, she later apologized on social media.
“Really sorry, I didn’t know this was offensive (or) towards racism. My mistake. I take full responsibility,” she wrote, the Guardian reported.
Badosa was set to play at the Wuhan Open from Oct. 7 to Oct 13 but dropped out of the competition due to gastrointestinal illness.
You Might Also Be Interested In
Wendy Chuang
Igra Abdi
