Top tennis players have backed women’s world tennis organisation’s move to suspend its tournaments in China over concern for Peng Shuai, who accused a former Communist Party leader of sexual assault.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which held a second video call with the Chinese player, has faced criticism for its handling of the situation amid concerns about the player’s safety.
The Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) made the decision over what its chairman Steve Simon called enduring “serious doubts” about the safety of Peng.
Simon reiterated his calls for China to conduct “a full and transparent investigation – without censorship” into Peng’s claim that former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli “forced” her into sex.
The WTA’s move to suspend its tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, won the backing of some of the biggest names in tennis, including men’s number one Novak Djokovic and women’s tour founder Billie Jean King.
The decision could potentially cost the WTA hundreds of millions of dollars because China is one of its biggest markets.
Djokovic called the WTA’s stance “very bold and very courageous”, while 12-time Grand Slam singles winner King tweeted that the WTA was “on the right side of history”.
Tennis great Martina Navratilova challenged the IOC to respond, writing on Twitter that “so far I can barely hear you!!!”
China will host the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.
The IOC, whose president Thomas Bach spoke to Peng for 30 minutes on November 21 in one of the first contacts that a Western organisation had with her, said it had held a second call on Wednesday.
The call had confirmed that Peng “appeared to be safe and well, given the difficult situation she is in”, the IOC said.
Bach faced criticism after the first call for failing to make demands about Peng’s safety and the IOC defended its approach in a statement on Thursday.
“We are using ‘quiet diplomacy’ which, given the circumstances and based on the experience of governments and other organisations, is indicated to be the most promising way to proceed effectively in such humanitarian matters,” the IOC said.
But the uncertainty over Peng has reignited calls for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games over China’s human rights record.
“In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault,” Simon said.
Michael Caster, a human rights activist, expressed praise for the WTA for what he said were its efforts to combat China’s attempts to cover up the incident.
“The fact that the Women’s Tennis Association has shown more credibility than the International Olympic Committee or for that matter more credibility than Interpol in resisting these types of clearly scripted and coerced performances from China is shocking,” Caster told Al Jazeera.
“It shows how far we need to go still. The fact that the IOC or Interpol have been turned into tools for China’s propaganda whereas the WTO has resisted it really is a mark for the WTA.”
‘Serious doubts’
The Chinese Tennis Association on Thursday expressed “indignation and firm opposition” to the WTA’s announcement, state-owned newspaper Global Times reported.
And Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the country was “firmly opposed to acts politicising sport”.
The 35-year-old Peng, a doubles champion at Wimbledon and the French Open, has been at the centre of international concern for the past month.
She was not seen for weeks following her allegations on the Twitter-like Weibo platform that Zhang, now in his 70s, coerced her into sex during a years-long on-off relationship.
Her allegations, posted on November 2, were quickly scrubbed from the internet in China and online discussions about them remain censored. Zhang has not responded.
The Global Times on Thursday accused the WTA in an editorial posted only on Twitter of “an exaggerated show” and “forcing [Peng] to complain in accordance with the imagination and expectations of Western public opinion.”
Peng’s claims against Zhang were the first time China’s #MeToo movement has touched the highest echelons of the ruling Communist Party.
State media have pointed to an email attributed to Peng and photos of her at a Beijing tennis event as evidence of her safety.
Simon said he still had “serious doubts that she is free, safe, and not subject to censorship, coercion, and intimidation”.
The European Union, the United Nations, the United States and the United Kingdom have all called for proof of Peng’s whereabouts and wellbeing.
Millions of dollars
Next year’s WTA schedule had not yet been announced, but China looks unlikely to be hosting major international sport – except the Olympics – any time soon because of its strict coronavirus policies.
In 2019, China hosted 10 WTA events with total prize money topping $30m.
Speaking on CNN, Simon said he had been unable to contact Peng directly despite multiple attempts.
Asked if the WTA had been contacted by any corporate sponsors of the Olympics or other sports with big business in China, such as the NBA, Simon said: “We haven’t heard from the partners involved in the Olympics and other properties involved in China.
“Our position here is very, very clear: I can only imagine the range of emotions and feelings that are likely going through Peng right now.
“We hope that she feels that none of this is her fault and that we’re very proud of her.”
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina‘s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season.
Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too.
Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team released Monday, earning all but one vote from a 55-person national media panel. Davis was right behind him, nabbing 51 votes.
They were joined by Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, Auburn forward Johni Broome, Arizona guard Caleb Love and Duke freshman Cooper Flagg. Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating a six-man team that includes only the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.
Alabama twin bill
Sears was a key cog in the Crimson Tide’s first trip to the Final Four a year ago, orchestrating one of college basketball’s highest-scoring teams.
The 6-foot-1 guard was named a second-team AP All-America after averaging 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He was the first Division I player in 31 years to have 795 points, 150 rebounds, 145 assists and 95 three-pointers in a single season while breaking the Alabama single-season record with 26 games with at least 20 points.
Sears worked out for NBA scouts during the offseason before deciding to return to Alabama, earning the Crimson Tide a No. 2 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25.
“I saw the team that we had and I wanted to be a part of it, and bring home Alabama’s first national championship in basketball,” Sears said.
Across the state at rival Auburn, Broome made a quick decision about his future, announcing in April that he would be back for a fifth season.
The 6-10 forward was a third-team AP All-American last season after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. With an eye on an NBA future, Broome worked hard on his perimeter shooting during the offseason and his return earned Auburn a No. 11 preseason ranking.
“My main goal is a team goal, which is to win the national championship, to make it as far as I can in March Madness,” Broome said. “When a team shines, everyone shines individually.”
Along Tobacco Road
Like Sears, Davis has similar aspirations after opting to return for his fifth season at North Carolina.
The 6-foot guard was an AP All-American last season and the ACC player of the year after averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on a team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Davis enters this year within reach of former North Carolina big man Tyler Hansbrough’s all-time ACC scoring record.
“I know there’s more work to be done,” Davis said. “I know my jersey’s not going up until I leave. So there’s some more records to break and some more work to be done. I’m satisfied but I’m not satisfied, if that makes sense.”
Up the road at Duke, Flagg was the only underclassman on the preseason All-America team after arriving with tons of hype. The 6-9 swingman was the No. 1-rated high school recruit out of Newport, Maine and has been projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Flagg has the skills of a guard, but can also play inside and has worked hard on his perimeter shooting, giving him the potential to be one of college basketball’s most versatile players. He’s part of a stellar recruiting class that has No. 7 Duke eyeing a deep March run.
Big 12 duo
Dickinson was the biggest move in the transfer portal last spring after leaving Michigan for Kansas. The 7-2 center lived up to the billing, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds while leading the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.
Love’s decision to return for a second season at No. 10 Arizona has ratcheted up expectations in the desert for the Big 12 rival of Kansas.
The athletic 6-4 guard had a high-scoring career at North Carolina and continued it after transferring to Arizona last season. He was the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team All-American after averaging 18 points per game and making 92 3-pointers.
Love tested the NBA waters this summer before deciding to return.
“He’s had a very successful college career thus far,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.”
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of Cleveland‘s season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon on Sunday against Cincinnati, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday.
Watson will soon undergo surgery, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the results of imaging tests taken on his leg.
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year.
The 29-year-old Watson went down without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson collapsed to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
As he laid on the ground, there was cheering by some Cleveland fans, leading to some of Watson’s teammates criticizing that behavior during the team’s fifth straight loss.
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s divisive stay with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks to Houston and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million in 2022. The deal came amid Watson being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He settled civil lawsuits in all but one of those cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games with the Browns and then made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
