Dirk Hordorff criticizes Naomi Osaka's protest: "Doesn't solve any problems"
Tennis official Dirk Hordorff has strongly criticized the protest of the Japanese star player Naomi Osaka against police violence in the USA. "I am not a fan of such actions. Here a national problem is transferred to an international sport," said the Vice President of the DTB to Münchner Merkur and tz .
by SID
last edit: Aug 28, 2020, 04:21 pm
Osaka initially withdrew its semi-final participation in the WTA tournament in New York on Wednesday in protest, but then announced that it would play the game postponed to Friday.
Hordorff made this angry. "Where's the border? Will a player refuse to serve next week in protest against North Korea? Or against Belarus? The Americans have the chance to change something on November 5th. In the presidential election," he said.
In any case, Hordorff does not believe that a boycott of athletes can make a difference. "I am for mature athletes. Everyone can express their opinion and convey their message," he said: "But simply not taking part does not solve any problems."
The trigger for Osaka's protest was the Jacob Blake case. The black man was shot from behind by a police officer last weekend. The 29-year-old is said to have hit seven bullets in the back - he is fighting for his life in the hospital.
The Milwaukee Bucks then boycotted their game in the North American professional basketball league NBA and thus started a nationwide wave of protests in US sports.