Chinese tennis player disappeared after sexual assault allegations
Written by Edgard Lacayo
The WTA, Women’s Tennis Association, has suspended all its tournaments in China due to the treatment of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. The tennis star has not been seen in public without the company of Chinese government officials after she spoke out about being sexually assaulted by Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on November 2nd. According to social media posts, that have since been removed, she accused him of coercing her into sex in his home. After the accusations were made against the Chinese official, Peng Shuai disappeared from the public eye. Any mention of her accusations were quickly removed by the Chinese government from Chinese media and any foreign media covering the news was quickly censored.
This led to international concern over the safety of the tennis star. Her whereabouts were unknown and there was no way to contact her. Other famous tennis players such as Serena Williams, and Naomi Osaka spoke out to voice their concern for Peng Shuai’s safety. Peng surfaced in a video conference later in the month with Chinese officials which calmed fears of her whereabouts but nevertheless raised concern over her condition. It is unclear if she is facing threats or intimidation from the Chinese government. Currently the Women’s Tennis Association is the only major sports association to speak out against the Chinese government. Other international organizations such as Human Rights Watch have also spoken out over the safety of Peng Shuai. Meanwhile organizations such as the IOC, International Olympic Committee have been criticized for not speaking out against the matter. One spokesman for the IOC said that “Experience shows that quiet diplomacy offers the best opportunity to find a solution for questions of such nature. This explains why the IOC will not comment any further at this stage”. Human Rights Watch responded by saying they were astonished at the IOC’s silence and the fact that they are accepting government assurances of Peng Shuai’s safety. On the other hand, the Chinese foreign ministry has said that this is not a diplomatic issue and has refused to comment further.
