Tennis Australia has reversed its decision to ban “Where is Peng Shuai?” T-shirts that reference the disappearance of the star Chinese tennis player.
The tennis body has confirmed to SBS News that the wearing of the T-shirts will be permitted at the Australian Open, but large banners could still be barred due to safety concerns.
The move comes after widespread backlash to footage of security and police at Melbourne Park on Saturday, who were pictured ordering two spectators to remove their T-shirts and a banner with the message “Where is Peng Shuai?”.
Tennis Australia had said the T-shirts were confiscated because they were deemed political, which contravened its ticketing policy.
A spokesperson said the body would now take a common-sense approach to its ticketing conditions and would allow certain messaging as long as there was no disruption to the event.
Concerns over the Chinese tennis player gained worldwide attention when she alleged former Chinese vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her in the past.
She disappeared from public view for almost three weeks after she posted the claims on Chinese social media.
In late December, Peng retracted her allegations in an interview with a Singapore media outlet.
She has appeared only rarely on Chinese social media since early November.
Her absence from the Australian Open has also renewed concerns from advocates about her wellbeing.
Advocates have called on people to continue to wear the T-shirts at the event to bring attention to concerns about Peng's safety and wellbeing.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton had earlier described the situation as a “human rights issue” and not a “political one” that must be addressed.
“This is about a women whose claimed to have been raped - she’s had to withdraw those claims but no one has been able to contest that circumstance because she’s not permitted to leave Beijing,” he said.
“I think it’s wrong that we just sit in silence when we know someone who is making serious claims like this isn’t allow to answer questions about those claims or elaborate on those.”
Mr Dutton said he understood the challenge faced by Tennis Australia, but people should be allowed to speak up over the concerns.
“We owe it to her and many others to step up and I think it’s best to be very honest about that,” he said.
