US tennis star Townsend apologises for 'crazy' Chinese food post / Photo: CLIVE BRUNSKILL - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
-
Ukraine's Heraskevych appeals to CAS over Olympic ban as Malinin eyes second gold
-
Stocks mostly drop after Wall Street slide
-
Sophie Adenot, the second French woman to fly to space
-
Alleged rape victim of Norway princess's son says she took sleeping pills
-
Activist group Palestine Action wins legal challenge against UK ban
-
Driven by Dhoni, Pakistan's X-factor tweaker Tariq targets India
-
Davidson set to make history as Ireland seek to rebound against Italy
-
Europe defends NATO, US ties at security gathering
-
China's fireworks heartland faces fizzling Lunar New Year sales
-
Bangladesh's Yunus 'banker to the poor', pushing democratic reform
-
Cracknell given Six Nations debut as Wales make changes for France
-
L'Oreal shares sink as sales miss forecasts
-
Bangladesh nationalists celebrate landslide win, Islamists cry foul
-
Thai PM agrees coalition with Thaksin-backed party
-
Zimbabwe pull off shock win over Australia at T20 World Cup
-
Merz, Macron to address first day of Munich security meet
-
Three dead, many without power after storm lashes France and Spain
-
Bennett half-century as Zimbabwe make 169-2 against Australia
-
Asian stocks track Wall St down as traders rethink tech bets
-
'Weak by design' African Union gathers for summit
-
Nigerian conservative city turns to online matchmaking for love
-
Serb-zero: the 'iceman' seeking solace in extreme cold
-
LeBron James nabs another NBA milestone with triple-double in Lakers win
-
Hundreds of thousands without power after storm lashes France
-
US Congress impasse over migrant crackdown set to trigger partial shutdown
-
AI's bitter rivalry heads to Washington
-
South Korea hails 'miracle' Choi after teen's landmark Olympic gold
-
England seek statement Six Nations win away to Scotland
-
Trent return can help Arbeloa's Real Madrid move forward
-
Battling Bremen braced for Bayern onslaught
-
Bangladesh nationalists claim big election win, Islamists cry foul
-
Tourists empty out of Cuba as US fuel blockade bites
-
Tearful Canadian mother mourns daughter before Carney visits town shaken by killings
-
Italy dream of cricket 'in Rome, Milan and Bologna' after historic win
-
Oscars museum dives into world of Miyazaki's 'Ponyo'
-
Dieng powers Bucks over NBA champion Thunder
-
Japan seizes Chinese fishing vessel, arrests captain
-
Bangladesh political heir Tarique Rahman poised for PM
-
Asian stocks track Wall St down but AI shift tempers losses
-
Bangladesh's BNP claim 'sweeping' election win
-
Drones, sirens, army posters: How four years of war changed a Russian city
-
Crowds flock to Istanbul's Museum of Innocence before TV adaptation
-
North Korea warns of 'terrible response' if South sends more drones
-
NASA crew set for flight to ISS
-
'Punk wellness': China's stressed youth mix traditional medicine and cocktails
-
Diplomacy, nukes and parades: what to watch at North Korea's next party congress
-
Arsenal, Man City eye trophy haul, Macclesfield more FA Cup 'miracles'
-
Dreaming of glory at Rio's carnival, far from elite parades
-
Bangladesh's BNP heading for 'sweeping' election win
-
Hisatsune grabs Pebble Beach lead with sparkling 62
US tennis star Townsend apologises for 'crazy' Chinese food post
American tennis player Taylor Townsend apologised on Wednesday after calling turtle and bullfrog served at a dinner buffet "crazy" while at the Billie Jean King Cup in China.
"What the hell.. turtle and bullfrog is WILD," she posted on Instagram on Tuesday night.
"These people are literally killing frogs, bullfrogs. Aren't those the ones that give you warts and boils and stuff?" she said in a follow-up video.
The hashtag "American tennis player publicly insults Chinese food" was one of the top trending topics on China's twitter-like platform Weibo and had been viewed more than 50 million times by Wednesday afternoon.
Weibo users condemned the player's take on Chinese dishes. Some, however, resorted to racist remarks against Townsend, who is Black.
Townsend's original posts attracted floods of comments criticising the player and she again took to Instagram on Wednesday, this time to say sorry.
"I just wanted to come on here and apologise sincerely from the bottom of my heart," Townsend posted.
"I have had nothing but the most amazing experience and time here. The things that I said were not representative of that at all.
"There's no excuse. I will be better."
The United States team, featuring doubles specialist Townsend, will play their quarter-final against Kazakhstan in Shenzhen on Thursday.
O.Salvador--PC
