The WTA has suspended all its tournaments in China over the country's handling of sexual assault allegations made by tennis star Peng Shuai and its failure to provide adequate proof of her safety in the weeks since.
Announcing the decision, chairman Steve Simon said on Wednesday that he refuses to put "our players and staff at risk" by holding competitions in the Asian country.
Peng went missing for more than two weeks after a post from her account on social media site Weibo accused Zhang Gaoli, China's former vice-premier, of sexual assault.
After the post and all mentions of the allegation were quickly scrubbed from the internet, she disappeared from public view and wasn't seen for more than two weeks, sparking concerns over her wellbeing.
Chinese state media have since offered various different pieces of proof allegedly showing she is safe and well, and Peng also took part in a video call with IOC president Thomas Bach.
But even after that call the WTA said it did "not alleviate or address concerns" and that more verifiable evidence needed to be provided.
The body threatened to pull the plug on competitions in the country unless more proof was offered, and on Tuesday the European Union got involved to also demand more evidence of the former number one-ranked doubles player's safety.
The WTA has now followed through on that threat, with chairman and CEO Simon saying he has "serious doubts" over her freedom and safety.
In a statement he said: "Chinese officials have been provided the opportunity to cease censorship, verifiably prove that Peng is free and able to speak without interference or intimidation, and investigate the allegation of sexual assault in a full, fair and transparent manner.
"Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way. While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation.
"The WTA has been clear on what is needed here, and we repeat our call for a full and transparent investigation – without censorship – into Peng Shuai’s sexual assault accusation."
Simon also said it was "unacceptable" for anyone to "sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug", and pointed out the danger of the whole case bringing about "an immense setback" in women's rights and equality on a global level.
He continued: "With the full support of the WTA Board of Directors, I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong.
"In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault.
"Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China in 2022."
