Chinese diplomat claims tennis star Peng Shuai is too strong to have been sexually assaulted
FOX NewsAPR 2022
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
It’s good to see that the WTA has come to its senses and admitted it made a mistake. The WTA never had the right to demand anything from the Chinese government, especially as Peng publicly rescinded her accusation twice. Holding WTA events in Hong Kong and on the mainland again will be a win-win for tennis and for the people of China.
Anti-China narrative
The WTA should not be ending its China boycott without the government taking more action in relation to Peng’s condition. However, this conclusion was inevitable because events in China – which accounted for $30M in prize money in the last full season before COVID – are too valuable, and cash is king. It was easy for the WTA to avoid China while COVID was restricting entrance into the country but, once the rules loosened, the WTA was always going to cave.