The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced plans to hold tournaments in China, despite the unresolved case of Chinese doubles player Peng Shuai. Peng disappeared from public view following accusations of sexual assault against a former Communist Party official that she made in a web posting in November 2021. The first ITF tournament in China is scheduled for June 5-11 at Luzhou. The ITF conducted tournaments in China up until 2019. However, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has yet to announce if it will resume staging tournaments in China. In 2021, WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon announced the suspension of all WTA tournaments in China due to concerns over Peng, which reportedly cost the tour millions. While the men’s ATP has scheduled several events for later this year in the country, 2022 events were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions in China. Despite calls for a “formal investigation” into the allegations made by Peng, the exact circumstances surrounding her disappearance, as well as her involvement in the ITF tournaments to be held in China, are yet to be revealed.
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