According to information collected by the Global Times, the Association criticizes the decision for “being based on fictitious information.”
The China Tennis Association (CTA) today expressed its “outrage” following the decision of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to suspend tournaments in China Due to the uncertainties surrounding the tennis player Peng Shuai, the Global Times newspaper collects today in inaccessible social networks in the Asian country.
The newspaper quoted this Thursday through Twitter and Facebook a statement obtained exclusively in which CTA criticizes WTA decision for “being based on fictitious information” and because “it will affect the pertinent athlete” and “the opportunities to compete” of the local tennis players.
The CTA statement does not exist on its website and, in fact, all information related to the Peng case -which accused a former high-ranking government official of sexual abuse- continues to be censored on Chinese media and social networks.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, who in previous press conferences had rejected questions about the case as “not being a diplomatic matter”, limited himself to commenting today that “China opposes the politicization of sport.”
Recently, another Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, He stressed that the tennis player had already “appeared” in some public events and that her case should not be “politicized”.
WTA’s coercion has deprived Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai of freedom of expression, forcing her to complain in accordance with the imagination and expectations of Western public opinion, fabricating that she has lost her freedom: Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin #HuSays pic.twitter.com/li8HHTKBL8
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) December 2, 2021
On Wednesday, the WTA decided to suspend the tournaments it holds in China due to the uncertainties that have surrounded the case of tennis player Peng, who denounced sexual abuse by former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, and of which there is hardly any evidence, outside of communications from media affiliated with the Government.
According to Steve Simon, President of the WTA, all WTA tournaments held in China, including Hong Kong, are suspended.
“I don’t see how our athletes can compete there while Peng cannot communicate freely and has been pressured to contradict her allegations of sexual abuse,” Simon said.
WTA maintains request for ‘full investigation’ in Shuai Peng case
On November 2, Peng revealed through the social network Weibo that she had an intermittent love affair with Zhang for years, whom she accused of having sexually abused her on one occasion.
The debate over the accusations was quickly censored on Chinese social networks and the original publication (which said “that afternoon I did not consent and I cried all the time”) was volatile.
After not appearing in public for several days, Peng participated in some events in Beijing and held a videoconference talk with the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, in which he assured that he was “fine” in the Chinese capital and that he would like “his privacy to be respected.”
The WTA, however, did not consider this conversation sufficient, since he suspects that Peng is acting under pressure -China has been accused on multiple occasions of having temporarily “disappeared” public figures who have acted or made statements against the interests of the Government- and insists that the accusation be formally investigated. (D)
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