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On Sunday, the Women’s Tennis Association called on China to investigate allegations of sexual violence against former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Peng Shui, while demanding an end to the censorship of the former number one player.
Peng, one of China’s biggest sports stars, claimed in his Weibo social media account on Nov. 2 that Zhang Gaoli, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee – China’s top decision-making body – forced him into sex and later had an on-off consensus.
Peng, 35, said in a message that was removed about half an hour after its publication that he was unable to provide evidence to support his allegations.
China’s Internet is heavily censored, and the privacy of top executives is a particularly sensitive issue. Zhang, now 75, was Deputy Prime Minister from 2013 to 2018 and served on the Politburo Standing Committee from 2012 to 2017.
Concerns from the global tennis community have grown as Peng, who was the first Chinese player to top the world list when he was number one in doubles in 2014, has not been seen since the release.
The U.S. WTA, which runs the women’s tour, said in a statement that it is working to “conduct a full, fair and transparent investigation into sexual violence” against the former Chinese leader.
“Recent events in China involving WTA player Peng Shua are deeply worrying,” said WTA President and CEO Steve Simon.
“Peng Shuai and all women deserve to be heard, not censored.
“His accusation of sexual abuse by a former Chinese leader must be taken extremely seriously.”
The China Government Information Office and the Chinese Tennis Association did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the WTA’s statement.
WTA chief Simon told the New York Times on Sunday that no one on the Tour had spoken directly to Peng, but that he had received assurances from the Chinese Tennis Association that he was “safe and not under any physical threat.”
The International Tennis Federation and the men’s ATP tour did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China has been at the center of the WTA’s most aggressive expansion in the past decade, hosting nine tournaments in the 2019 season with a total prize pool of $ 30.4 million.
The prize pool for the season-ending WTA Finals was $ 14 million in 2019 when it was first played in Shenzhen.
The finals were canceled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and moved to Guadalajara, Mexico this year, but the WTA has said it will return to Shenzhen from 2022 to 2030.
On Monday morning in China, live coverage of Guadalajara matches was not disrupted by iQiy, which has the rights to broadcast WTA tournaments in China.
“I think everyone fully understands what’s going on here on many different fronts as we go through it,” Simon told the New York Times.
“I think we certainly fully agree with the players on the management and the board that the only acceptable approach is to do the right thing.”
Frenchman Alize Cornet expressed support for Peng with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai, while former world number one American Chris Evert expressed concern on social media.
Tennis player Martina Navratilova supported the WTA’s request to investigate the matter on Twitter.
“Very strong attitude from WTA – and right attitude!” Navratilova wrote.
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