WTA postpones tournaments in China due to Peng Shuai case

The case surrounding the disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai is gaining momentum. Following the unresolved circumstances in the case, in which the tennis player accused former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Kao-lim of sexual assault and her subsequent apparently involuntary withdrawal from public life, the WTA has moved to respond. Tournaments originally scheduled for China and Hong Kong are postponed.

“I really don’t see how we can ask tennis players to compete in China while Peng Shuai cannot communicate freely and is clearly under pressure to withdraw her sexual assault allegations, ” WTA chief Steve Simon said in a statement.

“In the current situation, given the circumstances, I see hosting the 2022 tournaments in China as a major risk to our players and coaching teams,” the women’s tennis chief added.

After the former world number one doubles player posted a tweet about a sexual assault by a senior politician from China’s ruling Communist Party, she became virtually MIA. Her tweet was quickly deleted by Chinese censors, and the general public was not convinced when it appeared in the party media.

Another Chinese attempt to set the record straight was an interview by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach with the tennis player herself, whom she was supposed to have told that she was safe and well.

However, even this did not convince Simon and the tennis world, and the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai (Where is Peng Shuai?) became very popular on the social network Twitter. A lot of tennis stars like Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have already got behind the Chinese tennis player. Czech tennis player Petra Kvitova also applauded the WTA’s decision on Twitter.

Source: Reuters