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Naomi Osaka Picks Japan over U.S for Tokyo 2020 Olympics

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 26: Naomi Osaka of Japan poses for a photo with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup following victory in her Women’s Singles Final match against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during day 13 of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)

On Thursday, Japanese Public Broadcasting Station NHK, announced that tennis star, Naomi Osaka has decided to give up her U.S. citizenship and to take Japanese nationality for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Osaka was brought up in the U.S. to a Japanese mother and Haitian father and is a U.S. citizen. The upcoming Olympic games influenced her decision to pursue the Japanese nationality in Tokyo. Osaka told NHK that it would be “a special feeling to try to go to the Olympics and represent Japan.”

“I think that playing with the pride of the country will make me feel more emotional,” she added.

Japanese law states that citizens with dual nationality must choose one before age 22. Osaka turns 22 on October 16.

According to NHK, the Japan Tennis Association says that Osaka will be eligible to represent Japan in the Olympics if she plays for the country in one more national team competition organized by the International Tennis Federation.

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