Highlights
- Peng Shuai supporters handed out 'Where is Peng Shuai?' T-shirts at the Australian Open.
- Activists attempted to have their message broadcast in Australia and across the world during the women's final.
- China censors Peng Shuai and her sexual assault allegation she posted on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
Human rights activists were distributing a thousand free T-shirts emblazoned with “Where is Peng Shuai?” to anybody willing to wear them at the women’s final of the Australian Open.
Although many were spotted with the T-shirts in the crowd of 12,000 watching the historical match between world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and American Danielle Collins at Rod Laver Arena, the shirts barely received any broadcast coverage to millions watching on television around the world.
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Beijing-based sports industry analyst and author of Sporting Superpower Mark Dreyer said that’s because Tennis Australia, the organisers of the grand slam, has to weigh up sponsorship revenue from China against reputational issues on delicate topics such as Peng Shuai’s case.
“They are getting a lot of money from sponsors who would agree with the Chinese government line, in terms of not having any of this [Peng Shuai reference] on screens.”
The matter, which mixes sport with politics and business, comes as a sensitive time for the Australian Open as it seeks to cement itself as the grand slam of the Asia-Pacific.
In 2018, Tennis Australia officials signed its largest Chinese sponsorship deal in the history of the tournament with Chinese baijiu brand Luzhou Laojiao – granting them prime digital displays for their 1573 liquor in English and Chinese on Rod Laver and Margaret Court arenas.
“If you start letting sponsors calling too many shots, they are not going to be associated with anything seen as political sensitive. So they would just pull out both now and in the future,” said Dreyer.
Kimberly Ho is concerned for Peng's safety. Source: Tania Lee
SBS Chinese contacted Tennis Australia for comment but they did not respond at the time of publication.
The case of the missing tennis player explained
In November, the Chinese doubles specialist posted a 1,600-word note on Chinese social media Weibo accusing former vice premier of China Zhang Gaoli of sexual assaulting her in the past.
The post was taken down minutes later. Peng then vanished from the public eye for weeks as tennis officials and fellow players scrambled to locate and speak to her.
The three-time Olympian resurfaced weeks later appearing in conversation via with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
She then retracted her allegations in an interview with Singaporean newspaper Lianhe Zaobao in December, denying she made any accusation of sexual assault and claimed her social media post had faced “a lot of misunderstandings.”
Protest supporter Libby Brown wearing sticker saying 'missing' in Chinese. Source: Tania Lee
But her words have not appeared to quell global unease over her safety and wellbeing.
Concern grows for Peng Shuai
Human rights activists who stood at each entrance of Melbourne Park tennis precinct ahead of the final were hoping their message would reach audiences in mainland China where the controversy around Peng has been censored.
“There’s absolutely no discussion about it at all,” said Dreyer.
Drew Pavlou, who was behind the GoFundMe campaign that raised $21,000 to print the T-shirts, said Tennis Australia initially confiscated the shirts because of the large sponsorship deals with Chinese companies.
"It was a matter for Tennis Australia to determine who they were going to let into the tennis," Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews told SBS Chinese earlier this week, "From the government's point of view, we are a democracy, people do have freedom of speech and the opportunity to voice their views in a peaceful manner."
“It's not right that freedom of expression would be violated just simply to protect sponsors,” he said.
Activists hand out free 'Where is Peng Shuai?' T-shirts at the Australian Open. Source: AP
Australian Hong Kong activist Max Mok, who was also involved in the protest, promised ahead of the match that “the movement would be very peaceful and non-disruptive.”
“China has claimed that she’s safe and she’s fine. But we don’t really know do we,” Taiwanese spectator Kimberly Ho said.
Libby Brown, who stuck a sticker on her facemask with the word “missing” in Chinese characters, said she believed Peng had been silenced by Chinese authorities.
"I think she’s in a pretty dangerous situation and she would have said anything to keep herself safe and her family.”
Beijing poised to censor demonstrations at Winter Olympics
The renewed attention on Peng comes at a politically sensitive time for Beijing as they prepare to host the Winter Olympics scheduled to begin on February 4.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian warned on Tuesday against “politicising” sports at a daily press briefing.
Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis star, at the Australian Open in 2020. Source: EPA
Pavlou and Mok want their campaign to continue into the China event, even though athletes heading to Beijing have been warned by human rights activists to avoid criticising China because they could be prosecuted.
“In terms of it continuing into the Olympics, well that’s a tricky one because there basically isn’t going to be too many spectators there,” Dreyer said.
“All the ones there will be specially selected. I can’t see any possibility of any spectator wearing a Peng Shuai-themed T-shirt,” he added.
