Photo: Zhizhao Wu/Getty
Peng Shuaihas denied making any claims of sexual assault, after a since-deleted post on Chinese social media last monthraised concerns about her wellbeing.
PEOPLE did not translate the video and was unable to confirm the circumstances under which Peng made the statements.
Peng claimed in the video that she’d “been staying at home” in Beijing and she’s “always been free,” after her public absence raised concerns in the three weeks following her Nov. 2 post on Weibo, a Chinese social media site.
The former doubles champion also claimed to have personally written a November email in Chinese to Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) chairman and CEO Steve Simon, denying her previous allegations of assault. Peng confirmed the state media’sEnglish translationof the letter was accurate.
Simon said in astatementat the time that he had “a hard time believing” Peng wrote the email, noting that he had “repeatedly tried to reach her” without success.
Zhizhao Wu/Getty
“Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely, without coercion or intimidation from any source. Her allegation of sexual assault must be respected, investigated with full transparency and without censorship,” Simon wrote at the time. “The voices of women need to be heard and respected, not censored nor dictated to.”
WTA has sincesuspended tournaments in China, calling for “a full and transparent investigation – without censorship – into Peng Shuai’s sexual assault accusation.”
Peng also confirmed in the video that shespoke to International Olympic Committee (IOC) officialslate last month in a video call after the IOC announced that the athlete “explained that she is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time.”
Sunday’s video was the first time Peng addressed the matter publicly, following the phone call and email that were relayed secondhand. The video was seemingly filmed as she took in a cross-country skiing event in Shanghai with other athletes, including retired NBA starYao Ming, all representing China in patriotic gear.
In her original post, Peng alleged that Zhang, 75,coerced her into sexseveral years ago and that she later agreed to a consensual affair with him, according toReuters,The Washington PostandCNN.
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The post disappeared after about 30 minutes, and commenting has been disabled on her Weibo account, which remains online but does not appear in search results. Talk of the allegations has also been heavily censored in China.
Peng’s latest public appearance hasn’t eased concerns for her wellbeing. “It was again good to see Peng Shuai in a public setting and we certainly hope she is doing well,“WTA said in a statement, according to Reuters.
“As we have consistently stated, these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA’s significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion,” the statement continued. “We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern.”
The WTA did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Others in the tennis world commented with their concerns on the video. “Total and utter BS,“Martina Navratilovawroteof the clip. “This is … unsettling …“Chris Evertremarked.
source: people.com
