- Jun 6, 2007
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It was reported on CNN today the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) is suspending its tournaments in China until the Chinese government does the right thing about the allegations of the Chinese tennis star player Peng Shuai which involved her being raped by a former high level Chinese communist Party figure; this suspension could cost the WTA a billion dollars of revenue. Hearing this makes one want to shake their head in sadness over the WTA's unwise handling of this matter. On principle here the WTA is one hundred percent right, but from a practical standpoint where one still wants to be a good sports league organization they are being foolish. China is an autocratic government fully and completely, persons in China cannot count on receiving any civil rights, there is no Bill of Rights in China, on rights Chinese citizens only get the rights that the Chinese government decides to give them at the current time. China's history makes it clear top Chinese communist party officials are not held accountable for sexual assaults, it is a given, it is a standard set in stone unchangeable and unassailable.
So the WTA should stop calling on this matter for an Investigaton and a criminal justice system case if allegations are found to be legitimate, this is an impossible request, impossible to be granted by the Chinese government. At this juncture the WTA should just concern itself with Peng Shuai and her family's safety. The WTA should be seeking to negotiate with the Chinese government to get a written commitment from them that Peng and her family can freely and permanently leave the country of China and get the Chinese government to arrange a meeting with Peng and her family outside the country of China, not attended by Chinese government officials or their agents, so Peng and her family can make a completely voluntary decision on whether to permanently leave China. If the WTA gets these two demands from China it should permanently lift the suspension.
The WTA should set this lower standard for lifting the suspension because the suspension has big drawbacks. Having WTA tournaments in China will grow the sport of women tennis in China and this is really good for girls and women in China because it gives them a path to grow into strong women and this strength will translate into them being better able to advance and protect human rights for women in China. Further if possible to avoid this suspension the WTA should avoid it because it will cost the WTA one billion dollars which involves a lot of income from tournaments for the women that play the sport of women tennis and these monies help these professional women tennis players gain wealth, prestige and influence which enables them to help women world wide beginning with the image they can project of being strong, successful and highly talented women!
So the WTA should stop calling on this matter for an Investigaton and a criminal justice system case if allegations are found to be legitimate, this is an impossible request, impossible to be granted by the Chinese government. At this juncture the WTA should just concern itself with Peng Shuai and her family's safety. The WTA should be seeking to negotiate with the Chinese government to get a written commitment from them that Peng and her family can freely and permanently leave the country of China and get the Chinese government to arrange a meeting with Peng and her family outside the country of China, not attended by Chinese government officials or their agents, so Peng and her family can make a completely voluntary decision on whether to permanently leave China. If the WTA gets these two demands from China it should permanently lift the suspension.
The WTA should set this lower standard for lifting the suspension because the suspension has big drawbacks. Having WTA tournaments in China will grow the sport of women tennis in China and this is really good for girls and women in China because it gives them a path to grow into strong women and this strength will translate into them being better able to advance and protect human rights for women in China. Further if possible to avoid this suspension the WTA should avoid it because it will cost the WTA one billion dollars which involves a lot of income from tournaments for the women that play the sport of women tennis and these monies help these professional women tennis players gain wealth, prestige and influence which enables them to help women world wide beginning with the image they can project of being strong, successful and highly talented women!
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