As announced, the WTA will not hold any tournaments on the women’s tour in China for the time being due to the unclear situation surrounding the Chinese player Peng Shuai. The event in Shenzhen, which is traditionally one of the season opening tournaments, is therefore not on the WTA calendar, which was announced for the first half of 2022.
In early November, 35-year-old Peng published allegations against a top Chinese politician on the Weibo social network, accusing him of sexual assault. The post was deleted soon after. Since then, there have been great concerns about her well-being.
Despite the bitter criticism of the International Olympic Committee in the Peng case, IOC boss Thomas Bach does not want to deviate from his line. “From our point of view, silent diplomacy is a promising path that we will continue to pursue,” said Bach. The IOC had not named the tennis player’s allegations in its communications about the affair and made no public demands on China for clarification.
“Different paths, same goals”
“I can assure you that all aspects of this case will be discussed with the Chinese side,” said Bach now. The 67-year-old assured: “Together with many athletes and people around the world, we shared our concern for Peng Shuai when she was not available for a long time.”
“The WTA went its own way and made its decision. Many other sports organizations have chosen a different route. The paths can be different, but the goals can be the same, ”said Bach. He assured that the IOC would continue to seek Peng Shuai after the Olympic Games in Beijing in February. “We will continue this humanitarian approach and maintain contact. The Winter Games will not be an end point, ”said the IOC President.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/09/12/3783688-76963688-2560-1440.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1)
