WTA: Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai's call with Olympic chief is not enough
SHANGHAI (REUTERS) – Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai’s video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not address or alleviate the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) concern about her well-being, the WTA said on Monday (Nov 22).
The whereabouts of Ms Peng, a former doubles world number one, became a matter of international concern nearly three weeks ago, after she alleged that China’s former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her.
She appeared at a dinner with friends last Saturday and at a children’s tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, photographs and videos published by Chinese state media journalists and by the tournament’s organisers show. But they have done little to quell concerns.
“It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don’t alleviate or address the WTA’s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion,” a WTA spokesman said in an e-mail.
Asked about the call with the IOC, the spokesman said: “This video does not change 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 IOC said in a statement that Ms Peng held a 30-minute call with its president, Mr Thomas Bach, on Sunday, during which she said she was safe and well at home in Beijing and wanted to have her privacy respected for now.
Global rights groups and others have called for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February over China’s human rights record. The WTA has also threatened to pull tournaments out of China over the matter.
Mr Hu Xijin, the editor of the state-owned newspaper Global Times who has in recent days posted videos and photographs of Ms Peng in Beijing, said on Twitter on Monday that her appearance should be enough to ease worries of “those who truly care about (the) safety of Peng Shuai”.
“But for those aiming to attack China’s system and boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, facts, no matter how many, don’t work for them,” he said.
On Nov 2, Ms Peng posted on Chinese social media that Mr Zhang had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. The post was deleted about half an hour after it was posted.
Neither Mr Zhang nor the Chinese government have commented on Ms Peng’s allegations. China’s State Council Information office did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Monday.
The United States and Britain have called for China to provide proof of Ms Peng’s whereabouts, and France’s foreign minister said on Sunday that Chinese authorities should let Ms Peng speak publicly.
“I’m expecting only one thing: that she speaks,” Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television, adding that there could be unspecified diplomatic consequences if China did not clear up the situation. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the IOC’s statement.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, when asked at a regular briefing on Monday about the concerns expressed by France, Britain and the US, said it was not a foreign ministry matter but noted that Ms Peng had recently attended some public activities.
Current and former tennis players, including Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King, have also joined the calls seeking to confirm she was safe, using the social media hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai?
Men’s singles world No. 1 Novak Djokovic said it would be strange to hold tournaments in China unless the “horrific” situation was resolved.
The topic has been blocked from discussion on China’s heavily censored Internet and the comments sections on all remaining posts on Ms Peng’s official Weibo account, and on numerous old posts by users about her, have been locked.
Some Weibo users have found ways around the censors by leaving comments on accounts belonging to foreign tennis players or sports commentators. While a number expressed relief to see her reappear on the weekend, others said they were sceptical.
“I hope it’s not staged,” said one.
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