Things are becoming quite tense between China and the WTA. Doubles Wimbledon champion Shuai Peng (35) “disappeared” after she publicly accused a top Chinese politician, Zhang Gaoli (75), of sexual abuse. Fortunately, it appears that Shuai is safe in Beijing, but still the WTA wants to fully understand what happened to a player that is part of its family.
The WTA Statement
The Chinese player released a lengthy statement on Weibo that was removed (therefore censored) after 20 minutes. The WTA released the following statement:
“The recent events in China concerning a WTA player, Peng Shuai, are of deep concern. As an organization dedicated to women, we remain committed to the principles we were founded on – equality, opportunity and respect.
Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored. Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness. In all societies, the behavior she alleges that took place needs to be investigated, not condoned or ignored. We commend Peng Shuai for her remarkable courage and strength in coming forward. Women around the world are finding their voices so injustices can be corrected.
We expect this issue to be handled properly, meaning the allegations must be investigated fully, fairly, transparently and without censorship.
Our absolute and unwavering priority is the health and safety of our players. We are speaking out so justice can be done.”
WTA ready to leave China
CEO Steve Simon release an interesting interview with the New York Times stating that the WTA is ready to leave the operations in China if what happened will not be properly investigated.
“If at the end of the day, we don’t see the appropriate results from this, we would be prepared to take that step and not operate our business in China if that’s what it came to,” Simon said.
Shuai Peng in 2021
Currently ranked no.281, Peng played her last match on the 21st of February 2020 when she lost to world no.99 Magdalena Frech 6-4 6-7(5) 6-0 in the qualifications in Doha (draw).
This season Peng has a compiled 0-0 match record.
Shuai Peng |
| Embed from Getty Images |