Women’s Tennis to End Boycott, Resume Tournaments in China

The Women’s Tennis Association will resume operations in China this year, it said on Thursday, ending a stance taken in 2021 to suspend tournaments in the country because of concerns over the safety of former doubles player Peng Shuai. The WTA had received widespread praise for suspending its tournaments in the country after Peng said in a now deleted 2021 social media post that a senior former Chinese government official had sexually assaulted her. Peng then briefly disappeared from public view and later denied making the accusation, sparking an international…

Was Tennis Star Peng Caught up in Xi’s Power Politics?

Photo from NY Post There is more than meets the eye to the affair surrounding the Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a former top Chinese official of raping her. After a huge international flap, she has reappeared, telling the International Olympic Committee she is safe and sound. Although the affair has garnered worldwide attention, with the World Tennis Association threatening to cancel 10 WTA tournaments in China and lose 25 percent of its revenues, which amount to more than US$1 billion, it may be deeply enmeshed in…