- Shuai went missing from the tour in November 2021
- It followed a barrage of s3xual assault claims by China’s former vice premier Zhang Gaoli
- Peng met with Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai is safe, according to Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) CEO Steve Simon and the tennis outfit is aware of her stand.
Shuai went missing from the tour in November 2021 following a barrage of s3xual assault claims by China’s former vice premier Zhang Gaoli.
Her disappearance from the public after these claims triggered spirited condemnation from the sporting world.
The WTA softened up on its earlier stand of not holding any event in China. Last month, it changed its mind after admitting defeat in its campaign for reform in China.
Peng met with Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Little has been heard of her since, and many people believe the encounter was staged.
Since then, supporters have posed with “Where is Peng Shuai?” banners at numerous competitions.
Peng Shuai. Photo/LatestLY
In his speech at the Estasburg International competition, Simon addressed the subject. According to Spanish paper L’Equipe, WTA knows she is safe and knows where she is.
“We have taken a very strong stance in China, which very few companies or industries have done,” he stated.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN PENG SHUAI LAST APPEARED IN PUBLIC?
The 37-year-old Chinese tennis player appeared for an interview with Spanish daily L’Equipe in February 2022. At the Winter Olympics, Peng met with reporters for an hour and a half. All through, Chinese authorities were watching the interview from the sidelines.
She met with reporters from L’Equipe in a luxurious room on the 16th floor of a hotel in Beijing. However, masked government agents lurked in the vicinity of her room. Despite the fact that Peng is an English speaker, Chinese Olympic organisers insisted on having ‘translators’ accompany her.
L’Equipe came to the conclusion that the entire interview was staged because she spoke exclusively in Chinese throughout.
WHAT DID PENG SHUAI SAY ABOUT ZHANG GAOLI?
She rejected all of the allegations of s3xual assault against Gaoli that she made in 2021. As to why she hadn’t been spotted in public since making the claims, Shuai said that she was always around but maintained a low public profile.
Any claims to the contrary, Peng said, are the consequence of a serious misunderstanding. Teng Biao, a Chinese human rights attorney, claimed the tennis player was under duress when during the interview.
Yaqiu Wang, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch in China, claimed that her interview was “propaganda” by the Communist Party. He encouraged organisations to exercise caution when working with her because she could no longer speak her mind.
One of the dignitaries that was pictured visiting the hotel was Wang Kan, the chief of staff of the Chinese Olympic Committee.
WAS PENG SHUAI FORCED TO MAKE A FAKE CONFESSION?
The editors of L’Equipe stated that they knew interviewing Peng would be risky. They further opined that they were aware meeting Shuai came with a lot of limitations and restraints.
Yet, they still demanded that they interview her physically to ascertain that she was in excellent health. It was agreed that Peng would do the interview in only Chinese, with Wang present to translate, and that all questions would be provided in advance.
L’Equipe offered its own translator to confirm the veracity of Wang’s statements. The daily said that its reporters were permitted to ask many questions that had not been pre-approved during the interview, which lasted around an hour and a half.
Peng Shuai. Photo/Harry How/Getty Images
Peng’s responses to the most crucial queries basically mirrored those that were reported in Chinese state media. Her words were made without any further justification of their intent or purpose.
She then withdrew her allegations of s3xual assault against Gaoli from her Weibo social media account after being questioned about them.
The media asked her during the meeting: “You accused someone of sexual assault. What did you really write? We don’t understand.” She responded by discounting all these claims.
“S3xual assault? I never said anyone had s3xually assaulted me in any way,” she said in a rejoinder which sent signals that she may have been under duress.
When questioned about why she removed the post on her Weibo account, she stated that she did so as a personal choice. It wasn’t followed up with a query about why she had originally posted and what she had intended to convey.
When further questioned as to why she could not be reached following the post, she said that she was inundated with messages. She adamantly maintained that she kept in touch with her friends, nevertheless.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login