The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has decided to suspend tournaments it holds in China due to uncertainty about the whereabouts of tennis player Peng Shuai, who denounced sexual abuse by Zhang Gaoli, 75, Chinese deputy prime minister between 2012 and 2017.
Since the athlete published a report on a social network about the aggression (censored later), the lack of information about the whereabouts of the Chinese tennis player has led to a campaign to demand the Chinese government.
To show that the tennis player would be okay, Chinese state media released an alleged letter from Peng to the WTA and images of her that would be recent, but the confederation suspected the coercion.
The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, reported on the organization’s website that he made a video call with Peng Shuai and was accused of “publicity stunt”.
According to WTA President Steve Simon, all tournaments held in China, including Hong Kong, are suspended.
“I don’t see how our athletes can compete there while Peng Shuai can’t communicate freely and has been pressured to contradict their allegations of sexual abuse,” Simon said.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/wta-suspends-tournaments-in-china-due-to-uncertainty-about-peng-shuai/
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