MELBOURNE ¨C Xiao, a Chinese-born and Melbourne-based artist, was disturbed that the plight of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai had slipped off the radar before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. So she designed a T-shirt, and much to the dismay of Australian Open organizers, wore it to Melbourne Park.
Xiao was concerned that unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic¡¯s fight with the Australian government had overshadowed the plight of Peng, one of China¡¯s most popular tennis stars, who has mostly disappeared from public view since she accused a former top Chinese leader of sexual assault. Xiao¡¯s shirt had on the front a picture of Peng¡¯s face and on the back the slogan ¡°Where is Peng Shuai?¡±, a message that has been used heavily online as a call to confront the Chinese Communist Party about the #MeToo accusation that prompted the women¡¯s tennis tour to suspend its tournaments in China.
Security guards later told Xiao, who also brought a sign with the slogan, that the items were not permitted, citing a tournament policy banning fans from making political statements.
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