TENNIS / No plans to suspend events in China over Peng, says BBC

The president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) told the BBC he had no plans to suspend events in China over player Peng Shua.

The former world leader in four games accused former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaol of sexual violence and then disappeared from publicity last month, prompting the Women’s Tennis Federation (WTA) to suspend its lucrative tournaments in China.

ITF President David Haggerty said the sports governing body that oversees the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, as well as several lower-level tournaments, had no plans to follow suit.

“We don’t want to punish a billion people, so we will continue to hold our junior events in the country and our senior events, which are there for the time being,” Haggerty told the BBC, adding that the group is “working behind the scenes” to help resolve the matter.

The WTA’s decision to pull the tournaments deserved the support of current and former players, including WTA founder Billie Jean King, but outraged Beijing when Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China was “opposed to the politicization of sport.”