“I find it cowardly,” Martina Navratilova slams Tennis Australia for banning ‘Where is Peng Shuai’ t-shirts

“I find it cowardly,” Martina Navratilova slams Tennis Australia for banning ‘Where is Peng Shuai’ t-shirts

Martina Navratilova criticizes the Aus Open for banning Peng Shuai t-shirts

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Tennis Australia faced a huge backlash after a video emerged showing officials at the Australian Open confiscating a fan for wearing a ‘Where is Peng Shuai’ t-shirt. However. they defended this move saying political statements are not allowed to be displayed during the tournament.

In November 2021, Peng Shuai shared a post on her Weibo account, accusing a retired official of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of sexual assault. Peng was not seen in the public eye for three weeks following her announcement, but she later released a statement saying her post was misinterpreted and she never accused anyone. But there are still concerns about her whereabouts and fans have been donning the ‘Where is Peng Shuai’ t-shirts to voice their support for the Chinese star.

“This is not a political statement, this is a human rights statement,” says Martina Navratilova

Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai

18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova criticized Tennis Australia’s move to ban the t-shirts under the guise of ‘political reasons’ and called it cowardly.

“I find it really, really cowardly, I think they are wrong on this. This is not a political statement, this is a human rights statement,” she said.

She further added that the Australian Open officials shouldn’t let the Chinese dictate the rules. This was a reference to Luzhou Laojiao a Chinese-based company that is one of the main sponsors of the Australian Open.

“The WTA has been so strong on this issue and the players, really taking a chance on their pocket book. The ATP was pretty weak on this. The IOC, well we know where they are. And just really capitulating on this issue from the Aussies, letting China dictate what they do at their own slam,” she added.

WTA has voiced its support for Peng Shuai and even cancelled tournaments in China after China failed to give any verifiable proof on the well-being of Peng Shuai. Multiple tennis players including Naomi Osaka and Alize Cornet also have come forward to commend the WTA on taking a stand and expressed their concerns regarding Peng Shuai’s safety.

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