“World has not seen Peng since the Olympics” WTA Chief Steve Simon refuses to revoke the suspension on events in China
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Peng Shuai and Steve Simon
WTA Chief Steve Simon has been one of the most active tennis authorities to speak about the Peng Shuai case ever since the horrifying details were revealed by the former World No. 1 in November. While other bodies like ATP and ITF did not take immediate action, Simon led WTA were the first to publicly speak against the Chinese government and announced the suspension of all the events in China and Hong Kong.
All WTA asked for was a free dialogue with the player to know about her safety and well-being as her post revealing the details of her suffering and assault by senior Chinese politician Zhang Gaoli was taken down in less than an hour and the player was then not seen or heard of for a while before she made a sudden public appearance.
With China getting flak from other nations over the issue amidst the nearing opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics, International Olympic Committee’s head Thomas Bach allowed French media outlet L’Equipe to take an exclusive interview of the player to answer the very viral hashtag ‘Where is Peng Shuai’. Despite these attempts, the WTA remains adamant about not playing in China this year.
“We remain dedicated to finding a resolution to this. We want to find a resolution that Peng can be comfortable with, the Chinese government can be comfortable with, and we can be comfortable with. We are not about walking away from China. We have suspended our operations there right now. We will continue to do that until we get to a resolution. We will stay resolute. We do hope to be back there in 2023 with a resolution that shows progress was made in the space. That’s a victory for the world if we can accomplish that,”
“We have not had any recent communication with Peng and the world has not seen Peng since the Olympics either. I don’t think you will make a change in this world by walking away from issues. You have to create change. It might not be everything we want. But we have to find a solution that finds that balance that allows us to go back and see progress in the area,” said Simon speaking on the ‘Tennis Podcast’.
Steve Simon talks about ATP’s decision to host a full schedule in China
ATP was the last body to denounce the Chinese for the entire Peng Shuai case and many believe the step taken by ATP was not willingly but under the pressure of fans as WTA and ITF had suspended their events. While ATP also suspended the events, they did not make a big announcement during the calendar reveal for the second half of the season and a full schedule has been planned in China and Hong Kong post the US Open.
“Their difference is that … they don’t have a member that’s affected there. They will have to make their own decisions at this point of time. Would we love to have their support on what we are standing for there and the issues? Absolutely. But we are not trying to influence their decision in any way, it has to be theirs,” said Simon further taking a dig at the ATP for its cowardice to remove the suspension that was criticised by players as well.
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Sarthak Shitole
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