American Sports Player Taylor Townsend Expresses Regret for ‘Offensive’ Comments on Traditional Food

American tennis athlete Taylor Townsend has issued an statement of regret after receiving significant backlash for comments she made on social media regarding traditional Chinese food.

The 29-year-old, who is currently in the Chinese city of Shenzhen for the international tennis tournament, had earlier shared clips on Instagram in which she reacted to meals featuring frogs, soft-shell turtles, and marine delicacies.

She described the dishes as “the craziest thing” she had ever seen, adding, “I’m going to have to talk to HR… consuming turtle and bullfrog is INSANE.”

Her remarks quickly attracted strong reactions on multiple English and Chinese social media platforms.

Ms Townsend, who is the number one tennis professional in doubles, later expressed remorse, saying, “There’s no excuse, words cannot justify it and, on my part, I will be better.”

“I understand that I am extremely fortunate as a sports figure to be able to travel all around the world and encounter diverse traditions, which is one of the things I appreciate so much about my career,” she said in a clip posted to her social media.

She added that she had “the most amazing experience” at the tournament.

Prior to that, she had shared her reactions to dishes such as braised soft-shell turtle and dry pot bullfrog, which are regarded as classic delicacies in China, especially in the southern part of the country.

In her initial video, she asked, “Are these toxic? Aren’t those the ones that be giving you warts and boils and stuff?”

She also posted another video in which she and teammate Hailey Baptiste appeared to make fun of a marine dish served at a buffet.

Social media commenters were swift to react. One individual on X wrote, “Cannot support Taylor here, clearly offensive and shocks a poor awareness regarding the fact there are different cultures other than the USA.”

Another added, “It’s really offensive to ridicule other people’s cultural food.”

On Chinese social media, the topic “US athlete disparages Chinese food” started trending.

One Weibo user stated, “While traveling overseas, appreciate the local customs and heritage. You can opt not to eat it. There is no need to belittle our food.”

This situation comes less than a month after Townsend was engaged in a heated exchange with opponent Jelena Ostapenko, who had previously directed remarks about Townsend’s behavior on the court.

The player and her team are set to compete against Kazakhstan in the quarter finals on the upcoming match day.