Those of us that are good friends with a fellow human rights activist will often describe her as “a good sport.” She always seems to be having fun no matter what the circumstance. But how to describe Peng Shuai?
She could be called “the anti-Argentina” — she won four straight grand slam tournaments since her match-point loss to U.S. Marine Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004. Or, “the anti-Jerusalem” — she was the only person from China and the only woman from the former Soviet Union to win a grand slam singles tournament.
Neither really makes sense, but that’s because the tennis star actually did use a mediocre drug before the Spanish Open last month.
Her name is Peng, and for now, it’s “pfued” because Peng has now been suspended from competing at four international tournaments from June 2 to July 4. Peng, who is ranked No. 5 in the world, is refusing to return home to China without suspension from those tournaments. The International Tennis Federation has chosen to discipline the player with a regular forced suspension rather than an added ban.
The tennis authority made this decision even though it has no evidence that the 27-year-old player had inadvertently taken a banned substance; it apparently had proof that she had intentionally used a banned substance.
She is claiming that she was using a treatment called androgen hormone replacement therapy (Steroid HRT), which helped cope with her slow personal growth, a spokeswoman for the player confirmed to the Associated Press. Since 2003, international tennis has banned any androgen hormone supplements. But the WTA, which controls the WTA, has not yet determined exactly what chemicals she was taking. This raises concerns about the way WTA conducts its investigations.
The authorities also seem to lack any confidence in the Chinese system. They suggest that they suspect that the authorities’ medical experts are ill-equipped to detect any androgen hormone-induced treatment for a slow male puberty.
China is reeling from the news. While a preliminary ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month that allows Maria Sharapova, who took an impostor-made drug which is known as Mildronate, which is no longer on the banned list, to continue her career in China. Sharapova had an aggressive three-year defense, with a number of Chinese fans believing they had the right to support her, as those who do not follow her no longer follow India’s Sachin Tendulkar.
“I will never, ever play in China again,” the tennis star said in a press conference. “It’s just not an option. It’s not fair that somebody who comes from outside of the country can escape to China with impunity from these unfair rules.”
Whether the Chinese authorities will come to the same conclusion remains to be seen. But Peng Shuai is out of the running.
Read the full story at Bloomberg.
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