TOKYO - Former world number one Naomi Osaka said she "would love to play" at this year's Paris Olympics if she is granted a spot by tennis chiefs.The four-time Grand Slam champion may need to go through an appeals process to claim a place after failing to make a mandatory two appearances for Japan in the Billie Jean King Cup during the current Olympic cycle.
Osaka lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, where she went on to make the third round.
She has since become a mother, returning to tennis late last year after a 15-month maternity break.
She told reporters in Tokyo after helping Japan qualify for the BJK Cup finals that she will play in Paris "if they let me".
"Growing up watching the Olympics on TV, I felt that it was a celebration of sport," she said.
"I thought it brought everyone together and just to be able to be an athlete there and interact with other athletes is one of the funnest things that I've ever done."
The 26-year-old said she "would hope that I get to play" at the Games.
"And if I do play, I have high ambitions of myself and I hope that I can do really well and get a medal," she said.
Osaka's world ranking has risen from 831 to 193 since she began her comeback, although she has not gone beyond the quarter-finals in six tournaments.
She said she intends to play "a full clay court season and probably a full grass court season" over the coming months. Source: https://www.enca.com/sport/osaka-wants-play-paris-olympics-if-they-let-me
Polling is underway in South Korea to elect a new Parliament. About 44 million people are eligible to vote for its 300-member National Assembly. The outcome of today’s polls will also set the tone for the remaining years of Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidency. The election comes nearly two years after conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol won the 2022 presidential election defeating Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party by just 0.73 per cent – the slimmest margin in South Korean history. South Korea has a powerful presidential system, checked and balanced by the assembly which can pass or stop bills. The parliament is currently dominated by the Democratic Party which holds 142 out of 297 seats.