Advertisement

WTA ends Peng Shuai boycott without resolution, will resume playing in China

Peng accused a Chinese government official of sexual assault in a 2021 social media post, which led the WTA to institute a boycott it is now ending

The Women's Tennis Association announced on Thursday that they will be ending their boycott of China and will resume playing there in the near future, despite there being no resolution on the situation of Chinese player Peng Shuai.

The boycott was inspired by Peng after she alleged in late 2021 that a high-ranking Chinese government official raped her several years ago. She posted the allegations on a Chinese social media site, but it was taken down hours later. Peng disappeared from public view shortly after, sparking concerns for her safety.

In response, the WTA instituted a boycott, requested a private meeting with Peng, and called for a "full and transparent" investigation into her accusations. WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon told The Associated Press at the time " ... the one thing that we can’t do is walk away from this." But the WTA never got that investigation from the Chinese government, and it never got to meet with Peng, either.

“The stance that we took at the time was appropriate. And we stand by that. But 16 months into this, we’re convinced that our requests will not be met. And to continue with the same strategy doesn’t make sense,” Simon said Thursday via The Associated Press.

“So we needed to look at a different approach. With this, our members believe it’s time to resume the mission in China, where we believe we can continue to make a positive difference, as we have for the last 20 years, while at the same time making sure that Peng is not forgotten. By returning, hopefully more progress can be made.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 21: Shuai Peng of China in action during her Women's Singles first round match against Nao Hibino of Japan on day two of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 21, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)
Even though the WTA has not gotten a resolution on the Peng Shuai situation, they have elected to resume holding tournaments in China. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)

The last time Peng, 37, was seen in public was over a year ago, when she had several carefully planned appearances during the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. It was then that Peng attempted to take back her accusation, saying in an interview that she is the one who decided to erase the social media posts, and that she never intended to accuse anyone of sexual assault.

Simon said at the time that the interview did not "alleviate any of our concerns” about Peng's situation, and he continued to call for a full investigation and a chance to meet privately with Peng to discuss her concerns. Since then there has been virtually no coverage or news about Peng, from the media or from Simon and the WTA.

The WTA has not released its schedule for China yet, but Simon said it will be released in the coming weeks. He also said the first tournament there will be in September and the schedule will be similar to what was done in 2019, the last time the WTA had a full slate of tournaments scheduled in China.