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WTA CEO Steve Simon announced on Wednesday that the organization will suspend all tournaments in China Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai allegations of sexual assault and subsequent disappearance. Peng has only been seen in public since November 2, when he accused former Communist Party leader Zhang Gaoli of pressuring him to have sex.
The move comes after building goodwill and relations between the WTA and China. China is currently hosting 11 WTA Championships and was scheduled to host the Shenzhen WTA Finals in 2022-2030.
Here is part of Simon’s statement, Via WTAtennis.com:
“I am very sorry to have reached this point. The tennis community in China and Hong Kong is full of great people who have worked for us for many years. They should be proud of their achievements, hospitality and success. However, unless China. “We cannot put our players and staff at risk by holding events in China. The Chinese leaders have left the WTA without a chance. I remain hopeful that our demands will be heard and that the Chinese authorities will take action.
Simon threatened to withdraw his WTA business from China on November 18 because the country had not “proven that Peng is free and able to speak without interference or fear, and fully investigate allegations of sexual assault. In a fair and transparent manner.”
Chinese state media released a video of Peng having dinner with his friends and coach in Beijing on November 20th. He was also the 1st in the world to appear at an IOC video conference a few days later. Athlete Committee Chair Emma Terho, a four-person IOC video conference member, said in a statement that Peng was “fine.”
But these non-public appearances have not allayed the WTA’s fears about Peng’s security. This prompted Simon to cancel all Chinese WTA tournaments.
“Even though we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that he is free, safe and not under censorship, coercion and intimidation,” Simon wrote. “The WTA has made it clear what is needed here, and we reiterate our call for a full and transparent investigation into Peng Shuai’s sexual assault allegations, without censorship.
“All of this is unacceptable and unacceptable. If powerful people were to remove the voice of women and erase allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the foundation of the WTA – women’s equality – would be a huge setback. I can’t and I can’t leave the WTA and its that happens to the players. “
Peng made his allegations in an online post that has since been deleted on Chinese social media site Weibo. But China has denied the allegations and censored the surrounding debate. Simon believes the country “has not dealt with this very serious issue in a credible way” and does not want to impose more similar censorship on WTA athletes.
“With a clear conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and is apparently pressured to contradict the sexual assault allegation,” Simon wrote. “Given the current situation, I am also concerned about the risks that all our players and employees could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022.”
Although the loss of Chinese business will be an economic success for the WTA, Simon encouraged others to talk about sexual assault at all costs.
“The WTA will do everything it can to protect its players,” Simon wrote. “As we do so, I hope that leaders around the world will continue to speak out so that Peng and all women can be brought to justice, regardless of financial reasons.”
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