Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai told a Singaporean newspaper she never said she wrote about being sexually assaulted, despite a social media post attributed to her in November that blamed a former top Communist Party official for forcing her to have sex.
Chinese character newspaper Lianhe Zaobao published a video of Peng Shuai allegedly taken in Shanghai on Sunday in which she said she mainly stayed at her home in Beijing but was free to come and go as she pleased. .
“First of all, I want to highlight something very important. I never said I wrote that someone sexually assaulted me. I have to make this point very clearly, ”Peng Shuai told the interviewer during the interview.
The reporter did not ask how or why the long and very detailed message of November 2 appeared or whether Peng Shuai’s account had been hacked.
The newspaper said it interviewed the tennis star during a promotional event for the Beijing Olympic Winter Games which kick off on February 4. She was filmed on the observation deck of a facility where she watched a freestyle skiing competition alongside former NBA star Yao Ming and other Chinese sports figures.
Peng Shuai has disappeared from public view after the charge against former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli briefly appeared on his verified social media from the Weibo company before being quickly withdrawn. Screenshots of the post were shared across the internet, sparking widespread concern for Peng Shuai’s safety from politicians, other tennis stars and the Women Tennis Players Association (WTA), which announced that it is indefinitely suspending all these events in China.
After the post, the three-time Olympian and former Wimbledon champion appeared standing next to a tennis court in Beijing, signing oversized commemorative tennis balls for children. The foreign branch of state television also released a statement in English attributed to Peng Shuai in which it withdrew her accusation against Zhang Gaoli.
WTA chief executive Steve Simon questioned the legitimacy of the emailed statement, while others said it only heightened concerns about his safety. In the interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Peng Shuai said that she wrote the statement in Chinese characters and was later translated into English, but that there was no substantial difference in meaning between the two. versions.
Zhang Gaoli, 75, was a member of the party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee until 2018 and one of the main lieutenants of President and Party leader Xi Jinping. He did not appear in public or comment on Peng Shuai’s accusation.
Steve Simon said the decision to end competitions in China, including Hong Kong, came with the support of the WTA board, players, tournaments and sponsors. It was the strongest public position against China taken by a sports body – and one that could cost the WTA millions of dollars.
Steve Simon has repeatedly called on China to investigate the charges against Peng Shuai, 35, and allow the WTA to communicate directly with the player.
The IOC took a different approach, with senior officials saying they believed Peng Shaui was fine after video chatting with her.
The controversy surrounding Peng Shuai has added to protests against Beijing’s staging of the Winter Olympics over human rights violations committed by the government.