The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has suspended all tournaments taking place in China, the sport’s governing body announced on Wednesday.
The announcement comes after Peng Shuai posted an allegation of sexual assault against a top Chinese government official on November 2.
“I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault,” WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in a statement.
Simon said Peng’s allegation “had to be listened to and taken seriously” and that she had shown “strength and courage” in speaking out, particularly as “she knew the dangers she would face, yet she went public anyway.”
WTA quote from Shuai’s removed Weibo post
The WTA chairman even quoted Peng’s statement, which was removed from Chinese social media site Weibo just minutes after it was posted.
“As Peng said in her post, “Even if it is like an egg hitting a rock, or if I am like a moth drawn to the flame, inviting self-destruction, I will tell the truth about you.”
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China’s high-profile disappearances over the years
Peng Shuai, Chinese tennis player
On November 2, Peng Shuai shared a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo, alleging that a former vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her. After the post, she was not seen for two weeks, prompting concern about her safety. She re-appeared over the weekend in Beijing and held a video call with IOC President Thomas Bach on Sunday — but there are still concerns about her wellbeing.
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China’s high-profile disappearances over the years
Ren Zhiqiang, real estate tycoon
In February 2020, Ren Zhiqiang, a former real estate tycoon and an outspoken critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping, wrote an essay criticizing the Chinese authorities for their failure to respond to the COVID pandemic and called Xi a “clown.” After its publication, he disappeared from public view and was sentenced later that year to 18 years in prison for corruption.
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China’s high-profile disappearances over the years
Chen Qiushi, lawyer and citizen journalist
At the start of 2020, Chen Qiushi went to Wuhan when it was the epicenter of what would later become the COVID-19 pandemic, and made videos that showed what was happening in the city. In February 2020, he was taken away by authorities and resurfaced over 600 days later. “Over the past year and eight months, I have experienced a lot of things. Some of it can be talked about, some of it can’t.”
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China’s high-profile disappearances over the years
Lu Guang, photographer
At the end of 2018, Lu Guang, a long-time US-based Chinese photographer, was taken away by state security officials while traveling in China’s western Xinjiang province, the center of Beijing’s crackdown on Uyghur Muslims. Lu’s arrest drew international attention and widespread condemnation. In September 2019, Lu’s wife tweeted that he had been released a few months earlier and was home safe.
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China’s high-profile disappearances over the years
Meng Hongwei, former Interpol President
In October 2018, the first-ever Chinese president of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, vanished mid-way through his four-year term while on a trip to China. It subsequently emerged that he had been detained, accused of bribery and other alleged crimes. Interpol then announced that Meng had stepped down from his post at the helm of the organization. He was later sentenced to over 13 years in prison.
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China’s high-profile disappearances over the years
Ai Weiwei, artist and activist
Ai Weiwei is one of China’s highest-profile artists and political activists. He even helped design the 2008 Beijing Olympics Bird’s Nest stadium before falling out with the Chinese authorities. In 2011, Ai was arrested at the Beijing airport and spent 81 days in detention without charge. After being allowed to leave China in 2015, he has lived in Germany, the UK, and, since 2021, in Portugal.
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China’s high-profile disappearances over the years
Jack Ma, billionaire tech mogul
Jack Ma, founder of tech giant Alibaba, stopped appearing in public after criticizing Chinese regulators in an October 2020 speech. Although there were rumors that Ma had been detained, his friends reportedly said it wasn’t true and that he decided to keep quiet following criticism over his comments. Ma reappeared two months later video — but made no mention of his retreat from public life.
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China’s high-profile disappearances over the years
Zhao Wei, famous actress and billionaire
Zhao Wei has not been seen in public since August 2021 — and Beijing has made sure that she’s all but erased from history, with her films and TV shows removed from online streaming platforms without explanation. Her name has also been removed from credits of movies and TV programs. Even though Wei was reportedly spotted in eastern China in September, her exact whereabouts remain unclear.
Author: William Yang (Taipei)
Following the allegation of sexual assault against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, the whereabouts of the former world No. 1 player in doubles was not known for two weeks. It prompted an outpouring of social media posts from tennis players, seeking information on the missing Chinese tennis star.
WTA: We cannot put players and staff at risk
Even though fears for her safety appeared to have been allayed after footage of Peng emerged, concerns over her safety have endured.
On Tuesday, the European Union called on China to provide “verifiable proof” of Peng’s well-being.
And until further notice, there will be no women’s events, such as the end-of-year WTA finals, held in China as the WTA says it “cannot put our players and staff at risk” by holding events there.
On November 23, Beijing’s foreign ministry said her case, subsequent disappearance, and questions surrounding the veracity of information coming from China were being “maliciously hyped up” for political purposes.
Tennis: Peng Shuai case prompts WTA ban on events in China
Source:
Pinoy Pop News
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