Video of Peng Shuai With Olympic Officials Fuels a Showdown With Tennis

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According to the I.O.C. assertion, Bach invited Peng to a meal when he arrives for the Game titles in Beijing, which would contain Terho and Li Lingwei, an I.O.C. member and Chinese Tennis Federation official who also participated in the contact.

Having said that, the seemingly helpful banter and meal ideas did minimal to satisfy Steve Simon, the chief government of the WTA Tour. Simon has been hoping to set up impartial call with Peng for far more than a week to no avail and has grown ever more strident in his criticism of the Chinese govt as its govt-managed media entities unveiled a sequence of shots and video clips of her.

In a assertion on Sunday adhering to the launch of the I.O.C. online video, a spokesperson for the WTA and Simon mentioned, “It was excellent to see Peng Shuai in new movies, but they do not reduce or handle the WTA’s worry about her properly-being and means to communicate devoid of censorship or coercion. This online video does not modify our get in touch with for a total, fair and transparent investigation, with out censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the difficulty that gave rise to our first problem.”

Whilst many top sports officers have spoken out on Peng’s behalf, and questioned the “Where is Peng Shuai” question that has long gone viral in modern months, only Simon has built it clear that his business will not keep any tournaments in China if the government does not grant her authorization to shift freely, talk brazenly about the assault allegations and examine the incident.

The transfer could price tag women’s pro tennis hundreds of thousands and thousands of pounds of financial commitment from China, but in a letter to China’s ambassador to the U.S. on Friday, Simon reiterated the organization’s situation. He stated the WTA would not be in a position to keep on to keep its 9 occasions in China, including the prestigious Tour Finals, scheduled to consider place in Shenzhen by way of 2028, if he could not ensure the security of tennis players in the country.

The men’s pro tour has also demanded assurance of Peng’s safety but has not threatened to cease holding tournaments in China, which has broadly been viewed as a significant progress marketplace for all sports but offers significant ethical hazards for any person conducting small business with an significantly authoritarian federal government.

“Money trumps almost everything,” claimed Martina Navratilova, the former winner and tennis commentator, who defected to the United States when she was 18 several years outdated to escape communist rule in Czechoslovakia.