Tennis stars threw their support behind the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) move to suspend its tournaments in China over concern for Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai (彭帥), as calls grew yesterday for other sports organizations to take action.
The WTA made the decision over what its chairman called enduring “serious doubts” about the safety of Peng, who accused former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli (張高麗) of sexual assault.
WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon reiterated his calls for China to conduct “a full and transparent investigation — without censorship” into Peng’s claim that Zhang “forced” her into sex.
Photo: AP
The WTA’s move to suspend its tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, won the immediate backing of some of the biggest names in tennis, among them men’s No. 1 Novak Djokovic and women’s tour founder Billie Jean King.
It could potentially cost the WTA hundreds of millions of dollars because China is one of its biggest markets.
Djokovic called the WTA’s stance “very bold and very courageous,” while 12-time Grand Slam singles winner King wrote on Twitter: “The WTA is on the right side of history in supporting our players.”
Tennis great Martina Navratilova directly challenged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to respond, writing on Twitter that “so far I can barely hear you!!!”
The stance taken by the WTA comes at a sensitive time for China, as Beijing is preparing to host the Winter Olympics in February, and global rights groups and others have called for a boycott in protest against China’s human rights record.
When asked about the matter at a regular briefing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) did not directly comment on the WTA’s move, but said that China “opposes the politicization of sports.”
The IOC said in a statement yesterday that it had held a second video call with Peng, having held the first call late last month.
“We share the same concern as many other people and organizations about the well-being and safety of Peng Shuai. This is why, just yesterday, an IOC team held another video call with her,” the IOC said.
Beijing has remained largely silent over the scandal and authorities have blocked discussions of the topic online.
Yesterday, the Global Times took aim at the WTA in an editorial, accusing it of “bringing politics into women’s tennis” and of being a “lever of Western public opinion.”
The editorial, posted on Twitter — which is not available in China — called the WTA “betrayers of the Olympic spirit” and said that “some forces in the West are instigating a boycott against the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS