Beijing, December 20
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai told a Singapore newspaper that she never said she wrote about the sexual assault, while she was blamed in a post on social media in November, in which a former top Communist Party official He was accused of forcing her to have sex.
Lianhe Zaobao Chinese-language newspaper posted Peng’s video, saying it was taken in Shanghai on Sunday in which she said she was staying at home mainly in Beijing, but that she could come of her own free will. and was free to leave.
“First of all, I want to emphasize something that is very important. I never said that I wrote that someone sexually harassed me. I need to emphasize this point very clearly,” Peng told the newspaper reporter.
The reporter did not ask how or why the lengthy and detailed post dated November 2 appeared or whether Peng’s account was hacked.
The newspaper said it interviewed Peng at a promotional event for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games starting on February 4.
Peng fell out of sight after his verified Weibo appeared on social media before the charges against former deputy prime minister Zhang Gaoli were dropped soon after. Screen shots of the post were shared on the Internet, prompting widespread concern about Peng’s safety from politicians, fellow tennis stars and the World Tennis Federation, which announced it was suspending all events in China indefinitely. Used to be.
Following the posting, the three-time Olympian and former Wimbledon champion was seen standing near a tennis court in Beijing, waving and signing memorial tennis balls for children. State TV’s foreign branch also issued a statement in English attributing Peng, which dropped their charge against Zhang.
WTA chief executive Steve Simon questioned the validity of the emailed statement, while others said it raised their concerns about their safety. In the Lianhe Zaobao interview, Peng said that he wrote the statement in Chinese and it was later translated into English but that there was no real difference in meaning between the two versions.
Zhang, 75, was a member of the party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee until 2018 and was a top lieutenant to President and party leader Xi Jinping. He has not appeared in public or commented on Peng’s allegations.
Simon said the move to halt touring games in China, including Hong Kong, came with the support of the WTA’s board of directors, players, tournaments and sponsors. It was the strongest public stand taken by a sports body against China – and one that could have cost the WTA millions of dollars.
Simon has repeatedly called from China to investigate the 35-year-old’s allegations and allow the WTA to communicate directly with the former No.1-ranked doubles player and owner of titles at Wimbledon and the French Open.
The IOC has taken a different step, with top officials saying they believed it was okay after video chatting with Peng.
The controversy surrounding Peng has added to protests over Beijing’s hosting of the Winter Games due to the government’s human rights abuses. AP