Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai on Sunday denied alleging that a senior Chinese Communist Party leader sexually assaulted her and insisted she is living freely, in her first media interview since her accusations triggered concerns for her safety.
The comments did not ease worries at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which yesterday said that it still had “significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion.”
In a post last month on Sina Weibo, Peng alleged that former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli, who is in his 70s, coerced her into sex during an on-off relationship spanning several years.
Photo: Reuters
In comments to Lianhe Zaobao, a Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper, Peng denied making the allegation.
“I would like to stress a very important point: I have never said nor written anything accusing anyone of sexually assaulting me,” the 35-year-old said in footage apparently filmed on a cellphone at a sports event in Shanghai on Sunday.
“I would like to emphasize this point very clearly,” she added.
The reporter did not ask how or why the lengthy and highly detailed Nov. 2 post appeared or whether Peng’s account had been hacked.
The paper said it interviewed Peng at a promotional event for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games which begin on Feb. 4.
Her post was quickly scrubbed from the Chinese Internet, but not before screenshots were posted on Twitter, setting off a global outcry. The former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion then disappeared from public appearances for about three weeks.
The incident sparked international concern about her safety, including from the UN, the White House and fellow tennis stars.
In the Zaobao video, when asked about the post, Peng did not deny writing it, but described it as a “private matter” that people had “many misunderstandings” about.
In the video, a person is heard asking if she is able to move around freely and if she has been under surveillance since making the accusations. Peng responded that she has “always been very free.”
The WTA said it was still not convinced of Peng’s well-being.
“We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault,” the organization said in an e-mailed statement.
The WTA has suspended all tournaments in China, including Hong Kong, over concerns about Peng.
The latest video follows images of Peng published by Chinese state media, including some of her at a tennis tournament.
They also published a screenshot of an e-mail Peng purportedly wrote to the WTA saying “everything is fine,” but that did little to ease worries.
WTA chief Steve Simon said at the time he had “a hard time believing” Peng’s e-mail and questioned whether she was really free to speak openly.
In the latest video, dressed in a red T-shirt and dark down jacket, both with “China” emblazoned on them, Peng told Zaobao that the e-mail was legitimate and written “entirely of my own free will.”
Hours earlier, unverified images posted online by a Chinese state-affiliated journalist showed Peng speaking with NBA star Yao Ming and two other Chinese sports figures — Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia and retired table tennis player Wang Liqin.
In Peng’s original post she purportedly accused Zhang of pressuring her into sex, and wrote that she was “very scared” and “kept crying.”
Peng reportedly claimed they then went on to have a relationship, which continued until Zhang stopped recently.
Additional reporting by AP
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