Key Points
The womens professional tennis tour will bring its events back to China later this year, announcing on Thursday the end of a boycott instituted in late 2021 over concerns about the safety of former player Peng Shuai after she accused a high-ranking government official there of sexual assault...
WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in an interview with The Associated Press that while what he sought was never delivered a chance for someone from the tour to meet with Peng, along with a full and transparent investigation into the Grand Slam doubles champions accusations the decision was made, with input from player and tournament representatives, to return to the country...
And to continue with the same strategy doesnt make sense, Simon said from St. Petersburg, Florida, where the WTA is based.. The @WTA is poised to make a return to China for the first time since 2019, ending a 16-month suspension fueled by concern for former No. 1 Peng Shuai:https://t.co/qbIfHe7v6P..
Although there have been no reports of Peng sightings in public since carefully orchestrated appearances during the Beijing Olympics in February 2022, Simon said the WTA has received assurances from people who are close to her, that weve been in contact with, that she is safe and living with her family in Beijing...
Back when he first delivered the news about leaving China, Simon told the AP: the one thing that we cant do is walk away from this, because if were walking away from the key elements which is obviously not only her well-being, but the investigation then were telling the world that not addressing sexual assault with respect to the seriousness it requires is OK, because its too difficult..
