Serena Williams has joined the growing ranks of international tennis stars expressing concern over the disappearance of Peng Shuai. The former world No. 1 said she was ‘devastated and shocked’ about the plight of the Chinese tennis star, who has not been seen since she accused a senior Communist party official of sexual assault.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said it was prepared to pull its tournaments out of China if it does not get satisfactory answers. ‘This is bigger than business. Women need to be respected and not censored,’ said chairman Steve Simon. He was demonstrating something altogether too rare in dealings with China – a willingness to put moral principle ahead of the lucrative Chinese market.
Peng Shuai is one of the most recognisable faces in Chinese sport. On 2 November, she alleged on her Weibo social media account that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice-premier and member of the seven-strong Standing Committee of the Party’s Politburo, the country’s highest ruling group, had assaulted her. The post was removed by censors within 20 minutes, and Peng’s account was blocked, though other users continued to share screenshots of her post. In a desperate effort to prevent people searching and to close down the conversation, the censors added ‘tennis’ to a list of banned words.
The WTA has demanded Peng’s allegations be ‘investigated fully, fairly, transparently and without censorship’, while friends and colleagues unable to reach her have grown increasingly concerned about her welfare. The hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai has been trending on Twitter. Top tennis stars, past and present, have spoken out. ‘Honestly, it’s shocking,’ said Novak Djokovic, while Naomi Osaka tweeted, ‘Censorship is never OK at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and OK.
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