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Post by Admin on Jun 20, 2021 17:33:39 GMT
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka will not be required to talk to the media at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed. Osaka received a stern warning from Grand Slam organisers when she refused to take part in post-match press conferences at the recent French Open, citing preserving her mental health. The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open issued a joint statement, threatening Osaka with expulsion if she failed to carry out her media duties at their events. Following the warning and a fine of $15,000 (£10,570/€12,302), Osaka announced her withdrawal from Roland Garros. In her statement, Osaka said she would take time away from the court, with the four-time Grand Slam champion revealing she had experienced depression and anxiety. The world number two has also opted to pull out of Wimbledon but plans to compete at a home Olympic Games where she will be a big gold-medal hope for Japan. Press conferences are usually held after an athlete has won a medal at the Games, but the Japanese Olympic Committee told Kyodo News "there are no special penalties for not participating". The IOC also released a statement, insisting it "has never obliged athletes to hold a press conference". Under rules set out by the International Tennis Federation, which will run the tennis event at the Olympics, athletes must go through a mixed zone "immediately after the conclusion of each match" but are "not obliged to conduct any interviews". Should a player violate this rule, they will face a fine of up to $20,000 (£14,480/€16,857). Osaka grew up in the United States but confirmed her Japanese citizenship in October 2019, in order to represent the host nation at the Olympics. She previously said winning gold at Tokyo 2020 would be a "dream come true". Osaka generated headlines earlier this year when she expressed concerns for her country, with the Olympics set to be held amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a backdrop of discontent among citizens in Japan.
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Post by Admin on Jun 22, 2021 2:45:26 GMT
On Monday, the 23-year-old tennis superstar shared her stunning Vogue Japan cover where she looked strong and stunning in a Louis Vuitton bralette paired with orange pants and her arms and long black hair in motion. She shared three more photos from the shoot, which were very fashion-forward, including one image where she donned a colorful Nike set. "Hi guys. Popping out to post this @voguejapan cover, hope you’re all doing well and staying safe," she captioned the stunning images. http://instagram.com/p/CQYuxs3pb3n Celebrity friends and fans took to the comments to share how much they love the photos while also sharing words of encouragement to the athlete. "Yes," rapper Saweetie said proceeded by several, flame emojis. Actress Storm Reid agreed sharing a similar response and Venus Williams gave the photos a few flame emojis as well. "Hope you are doing well and staying safe. Miss you so much thinking about you every day," a fan wrote. "Hope you are well too!! Great Work, Thank you for vouching for us introverts," a commenter added. "Gorgeous! So proud of you for taking care of yourself!" another person continued. Her Vogue Japan shoot comes a month after Osaka made headlines for withdrawing from the 2021 French Open after refusing to attend the competition's press conferences to protect her mental and emotional health, which resulted in a fine of $15,000. She made the announcement on her social media where she opened up about her struggles with depression.
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Post by Admin on Jun 23, 2021 6:37:02 GMT
The Japanese Olympic Committee has confirmed that athletes at the Tokyo Games won't be obliged to attend press conferences, in what will surely be music to the ears of Naomi Osaka. Tennis World No.2 Osaka is currently taking a break from the sport on mental health grounds, after sensationally withdrawing from the French Open at the end of last month. The Japanese star created a storm after refusing to participate in tennis' obligatory press conferences at Roland Garros, prompting a fine from tournament organisers and the threat of being banned from future tournaments if she continued to do so. In explaining her media boycott, Osaka said the line of questioning she often fielded from the world's media was detrimental to her mental health. It should come as a relief to the Japanese star then that Olympic Games competitors won't be required to attend press conferences by organisers. The International Olympic Committee released a statement reading: “The IOC has never obliged athletes to hold a press conference.” The Japanese Olympic Committee, which has the say over media requirements of Japanese athletes, also confirmed that Osaka would not face sanction if she continued her media boycott. "There are no special penalties for not participating," they said. Unlike the Olympic Games, grand slam tournaments can issue fines of up to $20,000 for players refusing to attend press conferences. Repeat violations can even result in suspension or possible expulsion from tournaments. Osaka skipping Wimbledon grand slam Osaka rocked the tennis world again earlier this month after withdrawing from Wimbledon, with her agent confirming her decision to spend time with loved ones before the Olympics. "Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year," Osaka's agent Stuart Duguid said in an email to AFP. "She is taking some personal time with friends and family.
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Post by Admin on Jul 13, 2021 19:34:06 GMT
Naomi Osaka breaks her silence on French Open fallout | GMA The tennis star says she has received support from all around the world and stands by her decision to prioritize her mental health. Life is a journey. In the past few weeks, my journey took an unexpected path but one that has taught me so much and helped me grow. I learned a couple of key lessons. Lesson one: you can never please everyone. The world is as divided now as I can remember in my short 23 years. Issues that are so obvious to me at face value, like wearing a mask in a pandemic or kneeling to show support for anti-racism, are ferociously contested. I mean, wow. So, when I said I needed to miss French Open press conferences to take care of myself mentally, I should have been prepared for what unfolded. Lesson two was perhaps more enriching. It has become apparent to me that literally everyone either suffers from issues related to their mental health or knows someone who does. The number of messages I received from such a vast cross section of people confirms that. I think we can almost universally agree that each of us is a human being and subject to feelings and emotions. Perhaps my actions were confusing to some because there are two slightly different issues at play. In my mind they overlap, and that’s why I spoke about them together, but let’s separate them for the sake of discussion.
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Post by Admin on Jul 13, 2021 20:59:31 GMT
The first is the press. This was never about the press, but rather the traditional format of the press conference. I’ll say it again for those at the back: I love the press; I do not love all press conferences. I have always enjoyed an amazing relationship with the media and have given numerous in-depth, one-on-one interviews. Other than those super-stars who have been around much longer than I (Novak, Roger, Rafa, Serena), I’d estimate that I’ve given more time to the press than many other players over recent years. I always try to answer genuinely and from the heart. I’ve never been media-trained, so what you see is what you get. The way I see it, the reliance and respect from athlete to press is reciprocal. However, in my opinion (and I want to say that this is just my opinion and not that of every tennis player on tour), the press-conference format itself is out of date and in great need of a refresh. I believe that we can make it better, more interesting and more enjoyable for each side. Less subject vs. object; more peer to peer. Upon reflection, it appears to me that the majority of tennis writers do not agree. For most of them, the traditional press conference is sacred and not to be questioned. One of their main concerns was that I might set a dangerous precedent, but to my knowledge, no one in tennis has missed a press conference since. The intention was never to inspire revolt, but rather to look critically at our workplace and ask if we can do better. I communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health. I stand by that. Athletes are humans. Tennis is our privileged profession, and of course there are commitments off the court that coincide. But I can’t imagine another profession where a consistent attendance record (I have missed one press conference in my seven years on tour) would be so harshly scrutinized. Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions. In any other line of work, you would be forgiven for taking a personal day here and there, so long as it’s not habitual. You wouldn’t have to divulge your most personal symptoms to your employer; there would likely be HR measures protecting at least some level of privacy. In my case, I felt under a great amount of pressure to disclose my symptoms—frankly because the press and the tournament did not believe me. I do not wish that on anyone and hope that we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially the fragile ones. I also do not want to have to engage in a scrutiny of my personal medical history ever again. So I ask the press for some level of privacy and empathy next time we meet.
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