TOKYO — Tennis star Naomi Osaka has taken steps to give up her U.S. citizenship to play for Japan in the 2020 Olympics, Japanese media said on Thursday. The 21-year-old, born in Japan to a Haitian father and Japanese mother but raised in the United States, told NHK it will be special for her to represent host Japan at the Tokyo Games, the public broadcaster said. Osaka, who will turn 22 on Wednesday, faced that deadline to relinquish one nationality because neither Japan nor the United States permits dual citizenship for adults. The Japanese Olympic Committee and a U.S.-based agent for Osaka in the United States could not immediately be reached outside business hours. And while Japan has largely embraced Osaka, she still faces some indignities.

Source: National Post October 10, 2019 10:41 UTC