After objections over the Grand Slam’s contentious position, tournament boss Craig Tiley said that fans at the Australian Open can wear “Where is Peng Shuai?” shirts as long as they are restful. The governing body asserted the Melbourne Park tournament does not allow political comments in reaction to a video uploaded on social media on Saturday indicating security officers warning fans to remove shirts with the message on them.
Martina Navratilova called the Australian Open’s response “cowardly,” saying the organizers were surrendering into China and prioritizing sponsorship money over human rights issues. Peng, the former world number one in doubles, is missing from Melbourne. And there are suspicions for her security. Especially after she claimed in November that she was “forced” into sex during a years-long on-again, off-again romance with a Chinese former vice-premier. The 36-year-old went missing for about three weeks before reappearing in public in China. However, there are still suspects about her freedom.
I think there’s a lot of miscommunication and lack of understanding on it because it’s not just a one-line response
“Unfortunately I think there’s a lot of miscommunication and lack of understanding on it because it’s not just a one-line response,” Tiley told Reuters by telephone. “Someone wearing a T-shirt saying something is not going to have any impact on the safety. But when they start getting together as a group, as a mob, and start being disruptive, in any way or form, that’s a different thing. If they’re coming in to do what everyone else is doing to enjoy the tennis and if they’ve got a T-shirt on that says, ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’, that’s fine,” she added.Â
Peng said last month that she had never implicated anyone of sexually abusing her. And that a social media post she had made had been misconstrued. Zhang hasn’t said anything about it. Security personnel took action last weekend, according to Tiley, because they were skeptical of “the purpose and goal of the person coming in.” A GoFundMe campaign set up to generate money to print more T-shirts fulfilled its goal of Aus$10,000 (US$7,100) in just two days. With activists guaranteeing to distribute them to anyone who prefers to wear them.
The policy was eased when local media reported that human rights experts said Tennis Australia’s attitude could be illegal. The Women’s Tennis Association has amassed much acknowledgment for its stance on Peng. Which encompasses asking to hear directly from her and canceling competitions in China. Leading players at the Australian Open have conveyed their desire to hear from Peng. So that they can be sure of her safety on several occasions.
