Peng Shuai went missing after accusing former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. The WTA, UN and athletes have joined forces to find out the whereabouts of the world’s number one former tennis couple, and new information has emerged.
For those who are fond of tennis, Peng Shuai is not at all a strange name in this sport. The Chinese tennis player, born in 1986, became the world’s No. 1 doubles player – two of 23 Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon in 2013 and Roland Garros in 2014) – and reached the semi-finals of the US Open individually. in 2014. Those outside the sport will know the name of the Chinese tennis player, which echoed around the world after he was reported missing.
On November 3, 35-year-old Peng Shuai accused former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. The complaint was filed via social media on Weibo (a Chinese site similar to Twitter), in which the athlete admitted that she had temporary extramarital affairs with Gaoli, now 75, for several years, which she herself tried to keep secret. According to the athlete, a government official, one of the most important Chinese politicians between 2013 and 2018, stopped contacting her after being promoted through the ranks until Zhang and his wife invited Peng Shuai to play tennis in 2018. couple’s room. After the meeting, the former deputy prime minister allegedly raped Peng at his home.
“I never agreed that day. I cried all the time, ”he wrote. Peng also claimed that he had no evidence, but added that Zhang’s wife knew. “Even if this is nothing more than throwing an egg against a wall, I will explain the facts about what happened,” he said. The social media post disappeared 20 minutes after publication, and the French newspaper Le Monde reported the athlete’s disappearance.
Disappearance denial email
Ten days after the disappearance, which was not reported by the Chinese press – all links to the message attributed to tennis player Peng Shuai were blocked by Chinese Internet censors, but Weibo data shows that Peng posted something on November 3 and that the message was viewed over 100,000 once. – The tennis community under the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai has expressed concern for the athlete. Athletes such as Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams or Novak Djokovic requested information and an investigation into Shuai’s whereabouts. Then, on November 18, Steve Simon, president of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the body that regulates women’s tennis around the world, received an alleged email from the tennis player in which he assured him that he was okay.
“I am not lost. Allegations of sexual assault are untrue. I am resting at home and everything is fine. Thank you for your concern, ”can be read in the alleged email sent by the recipient and Reproduced by the public media in China.
“It’s hard to believe that Peng Shuai wrote this message that we received or to which we can attribute. Peng showed great courage in describing the sexual assault allegations against a senior Chinese government official. The WTA and the rest of the world must receive credible proof that it is safe. I tried to contact her in various ways, but to no avail, “replied Simon. WTA, UN and ATP even asked for evidence and even admitted to refusing to participate in tournaments organized in China.
There was news this weekend. The director of a Chinese government-affiliated newspaper said on Saturday that Peng Shuai is at home and will soon appear in public – he simply didn’t make a statement because he didn’t want to be disturbed – after a few photos of the athlete, surrounded by plush toys and presumably at home , appeared with the caption “Happy Weekend,” “Good Weekend,” attributed to Shuai.
On the same day, a video appeared where the tennis player also shared with reporters, signing autographs at a tennis tournament and having dinner with friends in a restaurant.
The President of the International Olympic Committee made a video call, but doubts remain
The President of the International Olympic Committee, as well as the leader of the Athletes’ Commission and a member of the Chinese Olympic Committee, spoke via video link this Sunday with tennis player Peng Shuai, who went missing after the conviction of a former senior government official. According to the IOC, Thomas Bach, Emma Terho and Li Lingwei spoke “30 minutes” with a tennis player who disappeared after she accused a former Chinese deputy prime minister of rape.
The statement said that Shuai will be “at home in Beijing safe and sound and wants her privacy to be respected.” “I was glad to see that Peng Shuai was okay because that was our main concern. He seemed relaxed and I offered him support, ”said Emma Terho, quoted in the statement. But more is still required.
This Sunday, French Foreign Minister asked Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who reappeared at the tournament after weeks of mysterious fate, be allowed to “speak freely” to clarify her situation.
“I find this incident very disturbing,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told private broadcaster LCI, noting, “I’m just waiting for Peng Shuai to speak. And if the Chinese authorities want to clarify, they must let Peng Shuai speak. , tell me where she is, how she lives, what she does, how she prepares for the Olympic Games. “
The leader of the French diplomat went even further in his statements, believing that the Chinese tennis player “clearly disappeared”, and showed the French discomfort with regard to Beijing in connection with this case. “If that’s not true, then let her speak up. If it were accidentally banned, if there was a clear disappearance, we would have to incur diplomatic consequences, ”he added without further explanation.
