The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is willing to pull its business from China and lose millions of dollars to ensure tennis player Peng Shuai's safety, CEO Steve Simon said in an interview with CNN Thursday.
Why it matters: Peng has not been seen in public since she accused China's former vice premier of sexual assault earlier this month. Tennis authorities have called for a full investigation into the allegations by the two-time Grand Slam doubles champion.
The latest: "As Steve Simon has made clear, the WTA is at a crossroad in China," a WTA spokesperson told Axios. "We continue to call for independent and verifiable proof that Peng Shuai is safe and that her sexual assault allegation will be investigated fully, fairly and without censorship. If not, the WTA is prepared to do what is right."
State of play: China's state-owned broadcaster CGTN released an email purportedly from Peng on Wednesday, in which she claims she is resting at home and appears to deny her previous allegations.
- But Simon and other tennis stars have cast doubt on the email's authenticity.
What they're saying: "Whether she was coerced into writing it, someone wrote it for her, we don't know," Simon told CNN. "But at this point I don't think there's any validity in it and we won't be comfortable until we have a chance to speak with her."
- "We're definitely willing to pull our business and deal with all the complications that come with it," he noted. "Because this is certainly, this is bigger than the business."
- "Women need to be respected and not censored."
- The WTA did not immediately return a request for comment.
The big picture: Serena Williams became the latest top athlete to speak out about Peng's disappearance on Thursday, tweeting that she is "shocked and devastated" at the news.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comment from a WTA spokesperson.
