“If you had told me a week and a half ago that the Women’s Tennis Federation was going to be the most effective and bravest human rights organization in the world, I would have thought you were bananas, but here we are,” Curry said. Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
“The WTA is essentially putting a billion-plus dollar line on the life of a member of the Women’s Tennis Federation.”
In 25 years of working in human rights, she’s never seen a group “putting something on such a line for human rights,” said Curry, a former U.S. representative to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, until then nominated. -President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, Peng had a video call with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, but the WTA has said it did not address or lessen his concerns about his well-being.
The United States, France, Britain and leading tennis players have expressed concern over Peng, a former Olympian.
It comes as Beijing prepares to host the Winter Olympics next February. Global rights groups and others have called for a boycott of the Games over China’s human rights record.
“Tennis season goes on all year long,” Curry said. “As long as players continue to express concern for him and it remains an issue with the WTA and they continue to raise his case, it will continue to make headlines in some way or the other.
“It will be an issue at the Olympics and before that the Australian Open, and then at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Every time tennis does something and it has an audience, it will be there.”
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