WTA to scrap events in China if Peng Shuais allegation is not probed

Steve Simon, the CEO and chairman of the Women’s
Tennis Association (WTA), said the world body is ready to give away millions of
dollars if China does not properly investigate former world No. 1 doubles
player Peng Shuai’s allegation of sexual assault against former vice-premier of
China, Zhang Gaoli.

“We’re definitely willing to pull our
business and deal with all the complications that come with it,” Simon
said in an interview Thursday with CNN. “Because this is certainly, this
is bigger than the business. Women need to be respected and not censored,”
Steve Simon added.

Peng’s
whereabouts not known

Peng, who is a household name in China, accused
Zhang Gaoli, a former member of all-powerful Chinese Community Party (CCP)
Politburo Standing Committee, of sexual assault in a social media post on
Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, on November 2 which she deleted half an hour
later, with the Chinese state censors making her post invisible for others.
Peng’s Weibo account has also been blocked. Since then she has not been seen in
public.

However, a screenshot of her Weibo post was
circulated on Twitter which helped the tennis world raise voices in her favour.

First big name in China’s #MeTooMovement

There has been a din
since Peng Shuai, a Wimbledon 2013 and the French Open 2014 Grand Slam doubles
champion, took to social media to reveal her ordeal that she claimed happened
three years back when Gaoli had forced her to have sex despite repeated
refusals following a round of tennis. Her post also said they had sex once
seven years ago and she had feelings for him after that.

The accusation is the first against a prominent
CCP leader since the #MeTooMovement took shape in China in 2018, with many
women at work making allegations of sexual assault against their bosses. But
their voices have always been tamped down.

 Any
criticism against Chinese political leaders has previously been handled with an
iron fist. But with China scheduled to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in
February, there has been significant public outcry since Peng, the first big
name in the #MeTooMovement, made the allegation but any discussion on the topic
has been blocked on Weibo.

Tennis
greats worried

As Peng’s whereabouts are still not known, the
global tennis community expressed concern over her safety. Women’s tennis
greats Serena Williams, Billie Jean King and Naomi Osaka on Thursday joined other luminaries
and called out for an independent investigation into her allegation against
Zhang Gaoli.      

“This must be investigated and we must not stay
silent,” Williams wrote on social media. “Sending love to her and her family
during this incredibly difficult time,” she added.

In a Twitter post — under the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai — Naomi Osaka wrote, “Not sure if you’ve been following the news but I was recently informed of a fellow tennis player that has gone missing shortly after revealing that she has been sexually abused. Censorship is never ok at any cost.”

Men’s tennis players’ representative the
Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), set up in 2020 by men’s world
number one Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil, said players must get ready to
take action if Peng’s safety cannot be confirmed immediately.

“The PTPA is advocating for independent evidence
confirming the safety and location of WTA player, Peng Shuai,” the body said in
a statement.

“We must unite and be willing to take action
unless corroborated evidence is provided to the world about Peng’s wellbeing,”
the statement further added.

Tussle
between WTA and China

Amid this tense atmosphere, the intervention of
the WTA is likely to put the world body in a direct tussle with the Chinese
authorities, which apparently declined to acknowledge Peng Shuai’s allegations.

WTA has already sought an investigation and made
#WhereIsPengShuai trending on Twitter.

China has been part of the WTA’s massive
expansion plan since the last decade. It has hosted nine tournaments in 2019
with a total of $30.4 million prize money on offer. However, the COVID-19
pandemic disrupted the seasons thereafter.

On Wednesday, Steve Simon tried to connect with
Peng, 35, through the Chinese Tennis Association but his effort went in vain.
He also cast doubt on the legitimacy of an e-mail purportedly from Peng and
leaked to a Chinese state media outlet, in which the 35-year-old player was
said to deny the sexual assault allegations.