Steve Simon, head of the WTA, says he has “serious doubts” that Peng is “free, safe and not subjected to intimidation”
MADRID, 1 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The executive director of the WTA, Steve Simon, announced on Wednesday the decision to suspend the tournaments in China for the 2022 season, as a result of the “censorship”, “intimidation” and “coercion” suffered by tennis player Peng Shuai since she denounced sexual abuse of a member of the government.
“The WTA has been clear and we repeat our call for a full and transparent investigation into Peng’s allegation of sexual assault,” says the CEO in a note posted by the WTA on its official website. “When Peng Shuai accused a member of the Chinese government of sexual abuse on November 2, the WTA understood that the message had to be heard,” he adds.
Simon highlights the bravery of the player and how she has been silenced. “Peng Shuai demonstrated the importance of exposing a sexual assault. She knew the dangers she faced. Since then, Peng’s message has been erased from the internet and censored in China,” he says.
“The Chinese government has had the opportunity to end this censorship and verify that Peng is free and that he can speak without intimidation, and investigate the allegations he made. Unfortunately, they have not taken him seriously. Although we know where Peng is, I have many doubts that it is free, is safe and is not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation, “he adds.
The tennis player reappeared last week in a videoconference with the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, but it is not enough for the WTA or the European Union, which asked China for evidence this Tuesday, or for the growing wave of protest within sports and especially women’s tennis.
“As a result, and with the full support of the WTA directors, I announce the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong. I cannot ask our players to compete where Peng is not free to communicate and apparently she has been pressured to contradict her accusation of sexual assault. With what is happening, I am concerned about the risks that our players and staff could take if they went to China in 2022. None of this is acceptable, “he says.
“If powerful people can suppress women’s voices and sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the foundation on which the WTA was founded, equality for women, would suffer a huge setback. I will not and cannot allow it. let that happen to the WTA and its players, “he ends.