Hong Kong newspaper is slammed for describing swimmer who received silver behind Ariarne Titmus as a ‘mixed-race mermaid’
A Hong Kong newspaper has sparked outrage after the silver medalist who gave Australia’s golden lady Ariarne Titmus a run for her cash on the Tokyo Olympics was dubbed as a ‘mixed-race mermaid’.
Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey pushed the Australian all the best way within the 200 metres freestyle last and led for a lot of the race earlier than Titmus got here storming house to say her second gold medal inside 48 hours.
Born to an Irish father and Hong Kong Chinese language mom, Haughey, 23, completed second to take town’s first ever Olympic medal in swimming. She is fluent in Cantonese and when she had to decide on between Eire and Hong Hong forward of the 2016 Rio Video games, she selected town as a result of: ‘I used to be born there, raised there, and really feel related and proud to characterize Hong Kong’.
Nonetheless, the pro-Beijing South China Morning Submit raised eyebrows with its selection of phrases to explain the twin Olympian after her groundbreaking feat.
Siobhan Haughey made historical past by successful Hong Kong’s first ever Olympic medal in swimming
‘Hovering into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Video games 200m freestyle last, Siobhan Bernadette Haughey has change into the mixed-race mermaid tasked with main Hong Kong’s subsequent technology of elite-class swimmers,’ The South China Morning Submit article acknowledged.
The profile piece has since been edited to explain her as an Irish-Hongkonger who has ‘reasserted her standing as torch-bearer to information Hong Kong’s next-generation of swimmers’.
However the readers who noticed the unique wording have been perturbed.
‘Nothing to see right here, simply the English language paper of report in ‘Asia’s World Metropolis’ calling somebody a ‘mixed-race mermaid,’ one tweeted.
One other added: You need to inform your bosses to provide her some correct Hongkonger respect with a much less insensitive nickname than ‘mixed-race mermaid.’
The South China Morning Submit was inundated with on-line backlash after describing the silver medalist as a ‘mixed-race mermaid
‘What the f*** is a mixed-race mermaid?’ one requested.
One other added: ‘Fairly certain Siobhan would have most popular ‘the Hong Kong athlete’.
Journalists all over the world have been additionally horrified.
‘A Hong Kong swimmer who received an Olympic medal was described by as a ‘mixed-race mermaid’. Unhappy to see this type of nonsense in 2021,’ Asia-based journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall wrote.
One other added: ‘Actually, that’s how this historic second is getting coated? Is that her most popular nickname?
Hong Kong’s queen of the pool (pictured) was born to an Irish father and Hong Kong mom
A former junior world champion and Youth Olympic medalist, Haughey is the grand niece of the late former Irish Prime Minister Charles Haughey and is competing in her second Olympics.
When she was provided the possibility to decide on between representing Eire or Hong Kong, she picked the ‘particular administrative area of China’ as a result of:
She could go house with one other medal after qualifying second quickest in Wednesday evening’s heats for the 100 metres freestyle heats behind Australia’s Emma McKeon, who set a brand new Olympic report.
The semi-finals will likely be held on Thursday morning.
Siobhan Haughey (proper) made historical past as she gave Australian Ariarne Titmus (centre) a run for her cash earlier than ending second to say silver
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