The World Tennis Association on Saturday released a statement regarding the social media comments made by Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai on Friday.
At a match in Athens, Greece, Peng questioned the policies and “territorial integrity” of the United States.
“I would like to say that I’m deeply concerned about Peng Shuai’s statements, and hopes the Chinese Tennis Federation will do its utmost to resolve the matter,” WTA CEO Steve Simon said in a statement. “The WTA’s view is that athletes should be engaging in safe, healthy and constructive social media conversation and therefore we are working together with China Tennis to address this incident.”
WTA governing body is actively taking steps to address the situation regarding China’s top female player pic.twitter.com/Bc0w1epb74 — Tracy Withers (@TracyWithersAP) April 22, 2017
Here is the full statement, in full:
“The WTA’s view is that athletes should be engaging in safe, healthy and constructive social media conversation and therefore we are working together with China Tennis to address this incident. WTA Player Code of Conduct in Player Contracts makes it clear that our role is to protect and encourage players’ freedom of expression and behavior. Actions contrary to these Code requirements will be met with a serious violation of the WTA’s player policies. The WTA remains committed to upholding the values that it stands for on and off the court.”