Tennis Australia (TA) has overturned its ban on spectators wearing the “Where is Peng Shuai?” T-shirts but will not yet support the display of protest banners on the issue.
TA has previously noted it has a “longstanding policy of not allowing banners, signs or clothing that are commercial or political” and would continue to prohibit any items that “compromise the safety and comfort” of AO fans.
Tennis Australia told The Epoch Times on Tuesday that it will be taking a “common sense approach” to “the enforcement of the terms and conditions of entry to the site.”
“It’s all been a bit lost in translation from some people who are not here and don’t really know the full view... The situation in the last couple of days is that some people came with a banner on two large poles, and we can’t allow that,” he said.
“If you are coming to watch the tennis, that’s fine, but we can’t allow anyone to cause a disruption at the end of the day,” he said, adding that security would make case-by-case assessments.
“Sport has always been on the forefront of social issues, pushing them forward, and we are going backwards. I find it really, really cowardly,” she told Tennis Channel.
Action taken by security staff on Friday was based on suspicions over “the motive and intent of the person coming in,” Tiley told Reuters on Tuesday.
The decision was announced after Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton called the ban on the Peng Shuai T-shirts “deeply concerning” and called for TA to “speak up” about the sexual harassment issue.
Meanwhile, NSW Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes alleged the tournament was “kowtowing to China” because several Chinese companies are major sponsors of the AO.
Hongkonger Australian human rights activist Max Mok, who recorded the video on Friday of the security guard confiscating the shirts and banner, applauded the decision and noted that 1,000 T-shirts would be distributed on Saturday at the women’s AO final.
But human rights activist Drew Pavlou, who posted the video of his associate Max Mok being barred from entry on Twitter on Jan. 21, said he would not be “crediting Tennis Australia with anything on this.”
The safety of Peng, an Olympian and former World doubles No. 1, continues to concern the global tennis community after she alleged sexual assault by former Chinese vice-premier Zhang Gaoli on Weibo in November.