#WhereIsPengShuai. The question has ignited Twitter in recent days following the Chinese tennis player's rape accusation against the country's former prime minister Zhang Gaoli on Nov. 2 on Weibo.
"I was very scared. That afternoon, I initially refused. I couldn't stop crying, ”the 35-year-old woman said on the Chinese social network on November 2 about her assault in 2018. In this message, she indicated that her affair with the eminent politician of her country was forced, ending last October after an argument.
Making a splash as soon as it was posted, the case was hushed up within minutes on Weibo, with the initial post and comments quickly removed. However, many screenshots were taken to relay this story, especially on Twitter, with the birth of the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.
Since the story of his version, the former winner of Wimbledon (2013) and Roland-Garros (2014) in doubles has completely disappeared, giving rise to fear of the worst. Despite this, the WTA - the association of professional female tennis players - was slow to respond. An attitude strongly criticized by observers.
MAJOR ECONOMIC INTERESTS
A silence which can no doubt be explained by the links that the regime maintains with this association. China has taken a growing share in the world tennis business over the past decade. The sports journalist Benoit Maylin published a tweet to denounce this drift of the Chinese stranglehold on the calendar of women's tennis.
In fact, 11 tournaments are organized in the Middle Kingdom and the Shenzhen Masters has been extended for a lease extending until 2029. One of the four main sponsors of the WTA is iQIYI, the publication site of online videos, which invested $ 120 million, or nearly 106 million euros, over 10 years until 2027.
The only official reaction from the WTA came 12 days after the scandal erupted via a statement. Its chairman and chief executive, Steve Simon, called for "a full, fair and transparent investigation into the allegations of sexual assault against the former Chinese leader", while calling for "an end to the censorship against Peng Shuai" .
MESSAGES OF SUPPORT ARE INCREASING
If the reactions of international bodies were slow in coming, messages of support from the female and male circuit have multiplied in recent days.
After her victory at the Turin Masters on Monday, world number one Novak Djokovic reacted to the matter at a press conference: “It's shocking that she is missing. It's terrible, I can just imagine how his family must be feeling. "
Another legend of the sport was indignant at this situation on Twitter Sunday, namely Chris Evert, former best player in the world between 1975 and 1977. In her post, she judged that "these disturbing accusations" should concern everyone .
The controversy tarnishes the image of China, a few months before the opening of the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing; they must take place from February 4 to 20, 2022.
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