The UN human rights office has condemned the racist online abuse of American tennis player Coco Gauff, warning that Black female athletes are specifically targeted and calling for solidarity against racism and sexism.
Key facts
- The UN human rights office condemned the racist online abuse directed at tennis player Coco Gauff.
- The office is led by high commissioner Volker Türk.
- A social media post on Saturday called the abuse 'appalling and illustrate that Black female athletes are specifically targeted for vitriol and racial abuse'.
- The UN called for solidarity to help push back against racism and sexism.
The United Nations’ human rights office has condemned the racist abuse directed at American tennis player Coco Gauff, according to the Guardian, calling for solidarity to help push back against racism and sexism.
The office, led by high commissioner Volker Türk, issued a social media post on Saturday addressing the online messages targeting Gauff. It described the racist messages as “appalling and illustrate that Black female athletes are specifically targeted for vitriol and racial abuse”.
The statement framed the abuse not as an isolated incident but as part of a wider pattern, singling out the way Black female athletes are subjected to vitriol and racial abuse online.
In its response, the human rights office urged solidarity as a means of pushing back against both racism and sexism, according to the Guardian’s report.
The intervention places a high-profile UN body behind calls to confront online abuse in sport, drawing attention to the experiences of athletes who face racial and gendered harassment on social media platforms.
Why it matters
When a leading UN human rights body speaks out, it signals that online abuse of athletes is being treated as a human rights concern rather than a routine feature of social media. The warning that Black female athletes are specifically targeted highlights an intersection of racism and sexism that affects sportspeople well beyond a single case.
Frequently asked questions
Who condemned the abuse of Coco Gauff?
The United Nations' human rights office, led by high commissioner Volker Türk, condemned the racist abuse in a social media post on Saturday.
What did the UN say about Black female athletes?
The office said the racist messages were 'appalling and illustrate that Black female athletes are specifically targeted for vitriol and racial abuse'.
What did the UN call for?
The office called for solidarity to help push back against racism and sexism.