Australian Open: Peng Shuai T-shirt ban reversed after outcry

The mishandling of controversies surrounding the Australian Open have continued with the organisers having reversed their Peng Shuai T-shirt ban. The lifting of the ban comes after criticism from a broad spectrum of organisations and people, and in particular top names in the world of tennis.
On Friday, security staff had asked spectators to remove T-shirts in support of the Chinese tennis player who disappeared after accusing a top official of rape. Although she has reappeared many are still concerned about her safety and wellbeing.
Craig Tiley, Chief Executive of Tennis Australia, the Australian Open organising body, said they would now allow spectators to wear the T-shirt as long as they attended without the “intent to disrupt” and were “peaceful in showing their support”.
“If someone wants to wear a T-shirt and make a statement about Peng Shuai that’s fine,” he was quoted as saying in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Banners would still not be allowed as he said: “Tt really takes away from the comfort and safety of the fans.” Security staff have been told to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
The BBC has requested for comment from Tennis Australia.
The reversal comes less than 24 hours after Tennis Australia had defended their ban, saying that under their ticket conditions of entry they did not allow “clothing, banners or signs that are commercial or political”.
Human rights groups and the international community heavily criticised organisers, some accusing them of bowing to the will of the sponsors many of whom are Chinese.
Australia’s Defence Minister Peter Dutton added his voice, calling Tennis Australia’s actions “deeply concerning” in an interview with broadcaster Sky News.
“I think we should be speaking up about these issues, and I’d encourage… tennis organisations, including Tennis Australia [to do so].”
Mr Dutton also praised the actions of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which has pulled all tournaments from China this year in response to the controversy.
Friday’s incident has sparked the creation of a Gofundme page that promised to print out more T-shirts after reaching its AUD$10,000 (£5,296; $7,179) goal.
Rules and conditions governing spectators’ attire and conduct are not unique to Tennis Australia with most sporting bodies following similar bans. The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which organises Wimbledon, prohibits “any objects or clothing bearing… political statements, objectionable or offensive statements” from the tournament grounds.
In November, Ms Peng posted a 1,600-word note on Chinese social media platform Weibo, accusing former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sex with him.
She then vanished from the public eye, triggering a wave of global concern among the international tennis community, fans and human rights groups over her whereabouts.
She resurfaced weeks later, and in her first media interview in December following her reappearance. Shuai denied making sexual assault claims saying her social media post  had faced “a lot of misunderstandings”.
With Tennis Australia forced to back down and the Peng Shuai T-shirt ban reversed, it remains to be seen how other tournament organisers will react in their upcoming tournaments.
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