In some professional sports circles, apparently all it takes to make athletes forget their high-minded principles is the waving of a wad of dollars under their noses. Sure, they’re quick to take a symbolic knee or wear an armband to raise awareness for a good cause, but lonely are those brave athletes who dare to sacrifice participation in high-dollar tournaments to warn oppressive governments against outrageous human rights abuses.
Consider the case of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. Last month, she alleged on social media that she was sexually abused by Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier and top organizer of the upcoming Winter Olympics in China. Peng quickly went missing. The government wiped out everything she had ever posted online anywhere. In no time, it was as if she had never existed.
Her disappearance raised serious concerns within the tennis world, prompting top players to voice public concerns. China responded by posting a statement purportedly from Peng retracting her own allegations. “I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine,” a posting in her name said. It was, of course, a work of pure fiction by her Chinese government captors.
