“WTA is coercing Peng Shuai to support the West’s attack on the Chinese system” State-backed Chinese media hits back on the WTA’s decision to cancel tournaments in the nation

Ever since the WTA decided to cancel all tennis tournaments in China and Hong Kong over the Peng Shuai case with the player’s safety still not satisfactory as per the “proofs” given by the Chinese government that has been accepted by their friends at the IOC but not by Steve Simon led WTA.

While this decision has gone well with the players, current and former, the decision as expected has not gone down well with the Chinese as they are now set for a massive economical loss with the cancellations of the tournaments which also includes the WTA Finals that were scheduled in Shenzen.

China’s foreign ministry’s spokesman Wang Wenbin did not have an elaborate answer to the questions asked and just said, “We are firmly opposed to acts politicising sport.” The Peng Shuai case also got a diplomatic boycott of the country from the US and the UK while also risking the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics set to begin from February in Beijing.

“WTA is coercing Peng Shuai to support the West’s attack on the Chinese system,” Hu Xijin, Editor-in-Chief of the Global Times, a branch of Chinese state media, tweeted. It should be noted that Twitter is banned in China and only some citizens working for the government are allowed to have their accounts on the social media platform.

“They are depriving Peng Shuai’s freedom of expression, demanding that her description of her current situation must meet their expectation. The WTA has acted as a lever of Western public opinion against China’s political system. To this end, they repeat the old tricks and once again set the precedent of boycotting sports events for political purposes. This creates new uncertainties for international sports,” Xijin’s tweet read.

Peng Shuai remains to be contacted by the WTA

The WTA had threatened the Chinese Tennis Association over a possible cancellation unless Peng’s safety was assured but the failure of the Chinese to give legitimate proof left the WTA no other choice but to cancel the tournaments. While the IOC has staged a video call with the former doubles Grand Slam champion, the WTA was not convinced.

Despite the cancellation, Peng has not been in contact with the WTA and the board remains concerned for the player and looks like the only board concerned as the ATP and ITF have remained silent over the matter and have not taken any steps like the ones WTA had the courage to take.

Also Read: ‘SPINELESS?’ ATP releases a vague statement on the Peng Shuai case

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