Chinese tennis star missing

[HanSenSE]

China's Peng Shuai makes social media post saying she was sexually abused. Post then taken down (but noting ever dies on the Internet, right?) and hasn't been seen since.

China says 'not aware' of tennis player Peng Shuai issue

 

[The Big Ragu]

Not just sexually abused. She said she was sexually assaulted and forced to have sex with a Communist Party official, who was Vice Premier at the time.

 

[TrooperBari]

Not much surprises me these days, but I am genuinely surprised at how hard the WTA and the wider tennis community are going at the Chinese government over Peng Shuai. It's remarkable given how quickly and meekly other, larger organizations have been willing to debase themselves to secure access to Chinese consumers -- not to mention the fact that China generates as much as a third of the WTA's revenue. None of this is likely to change Beijing's behavior in the long run, but it is definitely making some suits in Zhongnanhai squirm at a time when China is shouting about not politicizing sports and wanting to use the Winter Olympics as a vehicle for celebrating the country's glorious triumph over Covid-19.




One thing that doesn't surprise me, though, is Chinese propagandists' ham-fisted response. The censoring of "sensitive topics" is par for the course, but producing what is supposed to be an email from Peng claiming that everything is fine and please stop looking for her is next-level stuff. It was hard to tell whether they were flailing in response and put out something that substandard or that the powers that be cared so little about international reaction that they only had to put in the bare minimum of effort. Probably both.

 

[Azrael]

Kudos to the WTA. And courageous individuals like Naomi Osaka.

It would be great if we could line up Nike and the NBA and Apple and a thousand other global conglomerates against this kind of repression.

But money talks - and disappearing troublemakers has long been second nature to this government. In the age of social media, it's become more blatant. Jack Ma, Zhao Wei, Yang Maodong, et al.

Hope she's OK.

 

[User 149557]

Guess all that McDonald’s and KFC-based diplomacy and turning over all our production to them in the 1990’s didn’t change hearts and minds, did it?

We got a bunch of plastic crap from Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree sitting in our nation’s collective basement to show for it, though.

 

[User 150927]

So, if she doesn't resurface in a way that shows she's free .....boycott the Olympics?

 

[Spartan Squad]

So, if she doesn't resurface in a way that shows she's free .....boycott the Olympics?

In a perfect world? Yes.

But

Because tennis isn’t competing, the players won’t be holding the spotlight and possibly lead the boycott. Hell, the lack of women’s soccer in the Olympics means the US women won’t be putting pressure to sit it out. Watch for subtle protests but the winter athletes won’t sit this one out, with maybe a couple of exceptions.

Honestly, why we give China these big spotlight events and how so many sports leagues kowtow to China given its human rights abuses is sad. It’s where we are.

 

[Azrael]

Sally wrote a thing:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/11/18/peng-shuai-wta-china-olympic-boycott/

 

[LanceyHoward]

In a perfect world? Yes.

Honestly, why we give China these big spotlight events and how so many sports leagues kowtow to China given its human rights abuses is sad. It’s where we are.

I have been to Beijing. The city is a long ay from wherever thee ski competitions are and there is not enough snow. But in China government spending is not subject to the appropriations process of a democracy.

I am trying to remember who else was bidding on the Winter Olympics. There are not many places with the topography, climate and willingness and ability to spend money on things like toboggan runs. The Chinese government, on the other hand, likess these events and will provide enough one-stop funding to make this happen.

And I think the record of corruption in the IOC is sufficient that I can say this without sounding like a conspiracy nut. Every dollar that the Chinese provide is one less dollar the IOC has to give to the host country from television rights, etc. for facilities and one more dollar the IOC members can plunder.

 

[Spartan Squad]

I am trying to remember who else was bidding on the Winter Olympics. There are not many places with the topography, climate and willingness and ability to spend money on things like toboggan runs. The Chinese government, on the other hand, likess these events and will provide enough one-stop funding to make this happen.

The two cities were Beijing and one in Kazakhstan. Beijing had the money and willingness to spend. Kazakhstan has mountains and snow. They seemed willing the spend, but it probably would have gone to ruin shortly there after.

 

[Neutral Corner]

Kazakhstan is a very oil rich country, too. I think that even the IOC's legendary greed wasn't going to be enough to cover their record on human rights abuses, though.

 

[Azrael]

I'm always surprised by cities that should know better going back for another bite of the Olympic apple. Paris? Los Angeles? C'mon man. Why bother?

That said, I will post again my quadrennial recommendation to site the summer Olympics permanently in Athens. Winter in Lake Placid or Nagano.

Or find a ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere - Chile or New Zealand, etc. - and fix the location there.

It would do away with all the bidding and construction graft.

Which is why it will never happen.

 

[User 150927]

I agree. I've said that for years, there should be a permanent host site for the Olympic games. This constant bidding and spending on venues that then fall into disrepair or are torn down or never used again is ridiculous.

 

[Gutter]

I agree. I've said that for years, there should be a permanent host site for the Olympic games. This constant bidding and spending on venues that then fall into disrepair or are torn down or never used again is ridiculous.

Abandoned Olympic Venues

 

[swingline]

Hell, let’s just put the Super Bowl in New Orleans and be done with it. The Tooze approves.

 

[MileHigh]

Haven't they gone away from bidding. Paris and L.A. were bidding for 2024 so they awarded 2024 and 2028. IOC pretty much solicits one city to see if they want it and that's why it's going to Brisbane in 2032. There was very little bidding for Winter 2026.

But, yes, there should be two or three permanent sites and just rotate them.

 

[LanceyHoward]

I don't have a problem with countries being awarded Olympics. But I think the concept of all the activities being centralized is an anachronism in an era of air travel. Award them to an entire country. So if Canada wins Montreal can host gymnastics, Toronto boxing and Winnipeg wresting, etc. The host country provides a stadium somewhere that can host the opening and closing ceremonies. In 1896 when he modern games started transportation within a country was difficult but in this era of jet travel there is no need for a central location. And if all the athletes don't show up for the opening and closing ceremonies so what?

 

[Pilot]

The two cities were Beijing and one in Kazakhstan. Beijing had the money and willingness to spend. Kazakhstan has mountains and snow. They seemed willing the spend, but it probably would have gone to ruin shortly there after.

It was supposed to be Oslo, where, ya know, they actually like and participate in winter sports events. And it snows. And there are mountains. Simple things, really, but they add up when you're trying to have the Winter Olympics, I guess.

But, Oslo got pissed at the onerous demands and told the IOC to **** off, leaving two truly garbage options.

 

[HanSenSE]

World Cup was split between Japan and South Korea on 2002 and soccer survives. Next World Cup in North America will be spread across Mexico Canada and the US.

And what the hell is Qatar going to do with all the stadiums being built for their World Cup?

 

[UPChip]

The two cities were Beijing and one in Kazakhstan. Beijing had the money and willingness to spend. Kazakhstan has mountains and snow. They seemed willing the spend, but it probably would have gone to ruin shortly there after.

@Pilot beat me to it, but neither Beijing nor Almaty was supposed to get this one. Oslo was basically teed up but after the IOC's ridiculous demands were leaked in the Norwegian media (such as control over all advertising signage in the city, a cocktail reception with the king of Norway on the government dime, and seasonal fruit baskets in Norway in February, the Norwegian public basically told them to go pound sand, even more than most Western democracies have done to the IOC in the last 20 years.

I personally would have rather they went to Kazakhstan for two weeks of Borat jokes, but in terms of raw facilities, China doesn't have to build an Olympic stadium and they'll probably be able to sell tickets. They're doing curling at the Water Cube (casa de Michael Phelps), which should be fun. And China has never hosted the Winter Games, though this one should probably have been in a city like Harbin. I mean, it could be predicted, but it's also not like the IOC incited the Communist Party to be on its worst behavior. Hu Jintao, who was the premier when Beijing had the Summer Games in 2008, was big into 'harmony' and of the opinion that China fared best when when everyone was quietly moving forward, but Xi Jinping has pursued a more interventionist course. Also he doesn't seem to want to leave.

I'm always surprised by cities that should know better going back for another bite of the Olympic apple. Paris? Los Angeles? C'mon man. Why bother?

That said, I will post again my quadrennial recommendation to site the summer Olympics permanently in Athens. Winter in Lake Placid or Nagano.

Or find a ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere - Chile or New Zealand, etc. - and fix the location there.

It would do away with all the bidding and construction graft.

Which is why it will never happen.

Without determining whether or not they've actually seriously considered this idea, there are two big problems with a "Permanent Olympic Host" concept. One, any location that signs up for this commits themselves to a quadrennial outlay of billions of dollars in security alone. Even putting the whole shebang in the least controversial location available, so like Canada, doesn't bring the cost of security down one cent. Second, they'd have to agree on the where, and that's probably where something like TV comes in. NBC is already getting hosed pretty hardcore by the fact that this will be the third consecutive Olympic Games held on the wrong side of the Pacific where prime time there is 10 or more hours ahead of prime time here. Any potential permanent location is going to be unacceptable to enough people, either geographically or politically, as to sink the concept before we even get into the process of 'how.'

I don't have a problem with countries being awarded Olympics. But I think the concept of all the activities being centralized is an anachronism in an era of air travel. Award them to an entire country. So if Canada wins Montreal can host gymnastics, Toronto boxing and Winnipeg wresting, etc. The host country provides a stadium somewhere that can host the opening and closing ceremonies. In 1896 when he modern games started transportation within a country was difficult but in this era of jet travel there is no need for a central location. And if all the athletes don't show up for the opening and closing ceremonies so what?

I think this generally goes against the IOC's concept that the Olympics are intended to be a miniaturization of the global community. I think geography dictates that a more dispersed concept works for the Winter Games, but for the Summer, bids that are too dispersed generally get strikes against them.