WTA: The Peng Shuai controversy must be resolved before the WTA tournaments can return to China in 2023, according to the organisation in charge of women’s tennis, which told Reuters it had yet to meet the former world No. 1 in doubles directly.
In 2021, Peng published a social media post accusing China’s former vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. The message was quickly taken down from the nation’s internet. Later, she renounced having levelled the charge.
The WTA decided to halt tournaments in China as a result of Peng’s statement, which sparked a worldwide uproar over her safety and cost the women’s tour hundreds of millions of dollars in broadcasting and sponsorship.
The WTA’s schedule up to September was included in a proposed 2023 tournament calendar published in the latter part of last year, but details regarding events to be hosted in China were not specified.
The WTA stated in a statement that “there has not been any change in the WTA policy on a return to China and we have just confirmed our 2023 itinerary through to the US Open.”
“A resolution to the Peng incident, in which she bravely came forward to publicly accuse a senior Chinese government leader of sexual assault, will be necessary before I can go back to the area.
“We have demanded a formal inquiry into the claims by the proper authorities as well as a chance for the WTA to speak with Peng in private to discuss her position, as we would with any of our players worldwide.”
The WTA stated that while it had been confirmed Peng was secure and at ease, a face-to-face meeting had not yet taken place.
The statement said, “We continue to hold firm to our position and our thoughts are with Peng.” The WTA is still trying to find a solution.
“We will not compromise our basic ideals in order to operate WTA tournaments in the region,” the company stated. “We have always expressed we are hopeful we would be able to do so again.”
The Covid-19 crisis in China forced the men’s governing body ATP to postpone its events there in July of last year.
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