Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai competes in the second round of the 2019 USO Open tennis championships. The Women’s Tennis Association said it is canceling all tournaments in China after Peng Shuai was silenced following when disclosing sexual assault.
Michael Owens / AP
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Michael Owens / AP
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai competes in the second round of the 2019 USO Open tennis championships. The Women’s Tennis Association said it is canceling all tournaments in China after Peng Shuai was silenced following disclosure of sexual assault.
Michael Owens / AP
The Women’s Tennis Association is suspending all tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, WTA President and CEO Steve Simon said in a statement Wednesday release.
The decision from the WTA came after Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai alleged that she was sexually assaulted by former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli. The Chinese government deleted her post on the social media site Weibo, as well as her account. For weeks, people worried about Peng’s safety.
“Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way. Although we now know where Peng is, I really doubt that she is. be free, safe and free from censorship, coercion and intimidation,” Simon said in the statement.
“The WTA has been clear about what is needed here, and we reiterate our call for a full and transparent investigation – without censorship – into Peng Shuai’s alleged sexual assault. .”
The WTA did not note how much the decision would affect the league. But Simon said he was “very worried” about the risks all players and staff would face if they held events in China.
On November 21, officials from the International Olympic Committee held 30 minutes Video calls with Peng, who told them she was safe in her home in Beijing and asked for privacy at the time.
Previously, Chinese state media had published a copy of an email it said that Peng sent Simon, the WTA president, saying she was safe. But Simon questioned the authenticity of the email.
Simon said in a declare at that time. “The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she’s safe.”
The Alliance for Rights and Sports praised the WTA’s decision and called on the International Olympic Committee to take a similar stance on the issue, especially with just two months to go before the Winter Olympics in Beijing. in February 2022.
“The IOC’s eagerness to ignore the voice of a potentially jeopardized Olympic athlete and support statements by state-sponsored media in China demonstrates the urgent and vital need for with an IOC human rights strategy in close consultation with affected stakeholders, putting athletes at the center,” said Andrea Florence, acting director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, said in a statement.
