The whereabouts of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai took another twist on Thursday morning, with a statement claiming to be from her sent to the sport’s governing body.
https://twitter.com/CGTNEurope/status/1461024482383048714
“Hello everyone this is Peng Shuai,” the statement read.
“Regarding the recent news released on the official website of the WTA, the content has not been confirmed or verified by myself and it was released without my consent.”
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Peng caused shockwaves in China, and the sporting world, earlier this month when shewrote on social media that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier and member of the ruling Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals following a game of tennis in 2018.
https://twitter.com/JessLakei/status/1461027576542027777
Today’s email, that was allegedly written by Peng, backtracked on those claims.
“The news in that release, including the allegation of sexual assault, is not true. I’m not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine. Thank you again for caring about me,” it read.
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In response, WTA boss Steve Simon said the email “only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts.”
“I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received,” he said.
https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/1461060318210187279
The tennis world, including Novak Djokovic, Billie Jean King, and Naomi Osaka, have come together to call for Peng’s safety.
“The WTA and the rest of the world need independent and verifiable proof that she is safe,” Simon said.
“I have repeatedly tried to reach her via numerous forms of communications, to no avail.
“Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely, without coercion or intimidation from any source. Her allegation of sexual assault must be respect, investigated with full transparency and without censorship.”