The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has joined the WTA measure and will also not hold tournaments in China in 2022. It is due to tennis player Peng Shuai, who in November denounced a former political leader of the country and then disappeared for weeks.
Through a letter addressed to the players, the ITF announced that it will not contest competitions in China for the next year, a determination initially made by the WTA. Thus, there are nine canceled tournaments in the Asian country.
In 2019, the last year in which tournaments were held in China, the ITF organized 15 men’s and 25 women’s competitions. Those of 2020 and 2021 were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In November, Shuai Peng He reported being the victim of sexual abuse by former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli. From that moment, the athlete remained missing. Although the tennis player had two video calls with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the WTA expressed its doubts and affirmed that the images released do not change “the call for a full, fair and transparent investigation into their allegations of sexual abuse.”
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