WTA Decision Is A Slap On Dictatorial Regimes
Steve Simon, chairman of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), announced the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong. He said the decision was made with the full support of the WTA Board of Directors amid concerns about the safety of the Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.
This was a very bold step taken to promote, protect and safeguard Human Rights in general and of Sports persons in particular, against dictatorial regimes.
In fact, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, no international sports events were held in China last or this year, and all WTA tournaments were canceled in China. Till now, only the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing as scheduled. In fact action should have been taken by the Olympic Body too.
Boycotting in a high profile manner by the WTA has drawn the attention of all and sundry on Chinese Communist Party and its leadership. The bold decision has been taken in spite of the financial losses which will be faced by the WTA. However to defend the human rights financial losses mean nothing.
Though Sports matters should be considered from the perspective of sports but regimes like the Chinese Government controlled by just one dictatorial Communist Party of China, cannot be coerced by any other kind of pressure but loss of face and loss of international popularity.
Such boycotts will have positive impact on even the Chinese society and make them think regarding the nature of the Communist Party leadership. Even during the Cold War, incidents of sports boycott took place to confront the mighty Soviet Union for violations of Human Rights. As a result, the US in 1980 led a boycott of the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. And the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
So if the Chinese Government does not relent then a boycott against the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics should be taken up in earnest. A call must be given to the International Olympic Committee, national Olympic committees of various countries and the majority of athletes across the world to think of the boycott. Even a small dent in the successful holding of the 2022 Winter Olympics will be a loss of face for the Chinese Communist Party.
The WTA’s management displayed rare courage by refusing to believe Peng’s “narrative on her personal situation” in the video call with International Olympic Committee Chairman Thomas Bach. The WTA rightly asserted that Peng is not free, and has been coerced. The WTA has acted as a formidable opposition against China’s political system.
The WTA has put on a grand show. Their pursuit of HUMAN RIGHTS is surely top-notch. To further hype the case, the WTA even disclosed some private information about Peng. The Chinese Government should have at once arranged face to face meeting between Peng and WTA officials. However the Chinese Government failed in its duty.
Such coercion has deprived Peng of freedom of expression, forcing her to say that “ every thing is fine “ in accordance with the imagination and expectations of The Chinese Communist Party.
