Peng Shuai T-shirt row: Tennis Australia says safety of Chinese star a ‘primary concern’

Reacting to the recent controversy that was created after Tennis Australia asked a fan to remove a T-shirt and a banner bearing the words “Where is Peng Shuai?”, it said it is too concerned about the safety of the Chinese tennis player. According to a report by The Guardian, Australian Open players also expressed grave concerns over the well-being of the tennis player who had accused a senior Chinese official of sexual assault in November, last year.

Despite this, the tournament officials seized the t-shirts, saying they are not against their opinion but the tournament would not entertain any political statements during the game.

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Meanwhile, the security officer who asked the fans to remove the t-shirt said, "I am not saying you can’t have those views, but Tennis Australia sets the rules here." While speaking to The Guardian, a Tennis Australia spokesperson cited the tournament's terms and conditions behind the action taken by the officials during the tournament.

"Under our ticket conditions of entry, we don’t allow clothing, banners or signs that are commercial or political. Peng Shuai's safety is our primary concern. We continue to work with the WTA and global tennis community to seek more clarity on her situation and will do everything we can to ensure her wellbeing," The Guardian quoted the Tennis Australia spokesperson as saying.

Peng Shuai denies accusing Chinese official of assault

It is worth mentioning Peng Shuai is a Chinese professional tennis player. She was ranked world number 1 doubles player by the Women's Tennis Association, becoming the first Chinese tennis player to achieve that ranking. In November last year, the Chinese tennis star had posted a video on Weibo post in which she accused the former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of alleged sexual assault.

However, the video was later deleted by the Communist government. Since then, she has not been seen in public. However, in December last year, Shuai told a Singapore newspaper that she never said she wrote of having been sexually assaulted, despite a November social media post attributed to her that accused a former top Communist Party official of having sexually assaulted her.

(With agency inputs, Image: @DrewPavlou/Twitter/AP)