The Australian Open officials clashed with fans in attendance over them wearing Peng Shuai t-shirts featuring the slogan ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’
The tragic incidents surrounding Chinese tennis player Peng have been gathering storm recently. In November, Peng accused Chinese politician Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. Following that, she went missing from social media, drawing the attention and concern of the world.
Fast-forward to Saturday, and a video emerged where security approached fans at the Australian Open. They were wearing shirts seeking justice for the tennis player, but came into conflict with the authorities.
The Australian Open officials clashed with fans over them wearing Peng Shuai t-shirts, with the police getting involved later.
The video from a TikTok user shows police coming after the security intervened. As quoted by ESPN, an officer can be heard saying, “The Australian Open does have a rule that you can’t have political slogans; it’s a rule that it’s a condition of entry.
“Tennis Australia does set the rules, and regardless of what you’re saying — and I’m not saying you can’t have those views — but I am saying that Tennis Australia sets the rules here.
“(Security is) allowed to confiscate the shirts and the banner.”
Response
The video, having been viewed over 52,000 times at the time of writing, drew the attention of Tennis Australia, who released a statement on the entire incident.
“Under our ticket conditions of entry, we don’t allow clothing, banners or signs that are commercial or political,” a spokesperson said.
“Peng Shuai’s safety is our primary concern. We continue to work with the WTA and global tennis community to seek more clarity on her situation and will do everything we can to ensure her well-being.”
Read more: Journalist slams Peng for backtracking on sexual assault claims – “Comes off as highly staged”