WTA suspends tournaments in China: The Women’s Professional Tennis Tour has canceled all tennis tournaments to be carried in China. This decision has been accepted amid questions arising respecting the safety of Chinese female tennis player Peng Shuai. She had charged the senior leader of the Communist Party of China with sexual assault. Since then she has not been noticed in public. Since then concerns are being raised about his safety.
WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon stated that the cancelation of tournaments in China will conclude in a loss of crores of rupees but this verdict is supported by everyone. Women’s Tour founder Billie Jean King and World number one male tennis player Novak Djokovic have also supported the step.
WTA suspends tournaments in China. Steve Simon published a statement and notified about the suspension. He announces the suspension of all WTA events to be performed in China and Hong Kong with immediate effect. When Peng Shuai is not being permitted to talk freely and pressured to abandon from allegations of sexual assault. He doesn’t think their athletes will be skilled to play there with an empty mind. Given the recent circumstance there, He is deeply concerned that organizing the tournament in China in 2022 may put our staff and players at risk.
Simon continued, they understand where Peng is but he has considerable doubts that he is safe, free, and under zero pressure. If they walk away from this issue, it means that they are conveying a message to the world to not pay attention to the issues of sexual assault. And not to realize the gravity of the matter. So WTA suspends tournaments in China.
Peng Shuai made allegations in November:
WTA had schedules to regulate 11 events in China this year, but due to COVID, the tournaments were either held elsewhere or canceled. The plan for 2022 was not declared yet. Earlier in 2019, a total of 10 tournaments with prize cash of $ 30 million were performed in China. 35-year-old Peng Shuai has won French Open titles in doubles and the Wimbledon. After some time, he accused former Vice Premier Zheng Gawli of 70 years of compelling her to have sex.
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Peng was not noticed for nearly 2 weeks after the allegations appeared. After Peng’s allegations, for the 1st time in China, under #MeToo, an important person of the Communist Party was in the dock. He made the statements on November 2. But after some time it was eliminated from the internet. She disappeared from public life. Then she seemed in Beijing at a tennis event. On 21 November, she talked with the head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, via a video call.