"Where's Peng Shuai?" shirts are now allowed in Melbourne
At the Australian Open, fans are now allowed to use T-shirts to draw attention to the fate of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.
by SID
last edit: Jan 25, 2022, 02:28 pm
Tournament boss Craig Tiley told the AFP news agency on Tuesday after the organizers of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year had had trouble explaining their controversial handling of the case.
A video surfaced on Sunday showing security forces at Melbourne Park preventing spectators from wearing T-shirts reading "Where's Peng Shuai?" in support of the Chinese tennis player. to wear. This had caused a great deal of excitement, with tennis legend Martina Navratilova describing the procedure as "pathetic".
The shirts are now allowed - as long as their wearers "do not come as a mob to disturb, but are peaceful," as Tiley said: "If they come to watch tennis, that's fine. But we can't allow that someone causes a disruption at the end of the day." As recently as Monday, Tennis Australia reiterated its stance of not allowing banners, signs or clothing that are commercial or political.
Concerns about Peng Shuai remain high. In November, the former double world number one reported sexual abuse by China's former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli in a short article on the Chinese short message service Weibo.
Her subsequent absence from the public led to protests and calls from numerous prominent colleagues and institutions for independently verifiable safety guarantees for the athlete.