More than a year has passed since the mysterious and worrying story involving Peng Shuai. On November 2, 2021, the tennis player had openly declared that she had been se*ually abused by a senior Chinese official and, since that burning revelation, she had suddenly lost track of her.
Her family and the entire tennis community feared the worst for her, only to be reassured a few months later thanks to her public appearance at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. The matter has prompted the WTA to cancel any type of event in China and has repeatedly reiterated it through official notes.
Although some time has passed since everything exploded, concern for Peng Shuai remains present in the highest body of women’s tennis, which, as announced in a press release, clarifies that it wants to have a private meeting with her, as collected by the The Guardian.
Most importantly, the WTA will not back down from its stance of not holding events in China until the matter is clarified once and for all. WTA courage towards Peng Shuai’s issue is exemplary. And it should push other trade associations and other tournaments to take a clear and decisive position on this issue.
WTA has still its thought towards Peng Shuai’s issue
The Women’s Tennis Association is clear: no return to China before the resolution of the Peng Shuai case. Through a press release collected by the British newspaper The Guardian, the association that brings together professional female players says it is, in fact, categorical: “There has been no change in the WTA’s position on returning to China and we have confirmed our 2023 calendar only up to the US Open.
Returning to the region will require a resolution of Peng’s situation, which she took the courageous step of publicly declaring that she was se*ually assaulted by a senior Chinese government official. As we would any of our players around the world, we have called for a formal investigation into the allegations by the relevant authorities and for the opportunity for the WTA to meet with Peng (privately) to discuss her situation.
We continue to stand firm in our position and our thoughts remain with Peng. The WTA continues to work to find a solution. While we have always stated that we hope to be able to return to running WTA tournaments in the region, we will not compromise our principles to do so.”
