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'Where is she?' Chinese tennis player who accused politician of rape seems to have disappeared
Former world No.1 women's doubles tennis player Peng Shuai has not made any public statements since her accusation
Author of the article:
Reuters
Publishing date:
Nov 15, 2021 • November 15, 2021 • 3 minute read • 8 Comments
China's Peng Shuai at a China Open tennis tournament in Beijing. Eighteen-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert on Sunday became the highest-profile member of an increasingly concerned tennis community to raise the question of Peng's whereabouts. PHOTO BY GREG BAKER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Former world No.1 women’s doubles tennis player Peng Shuai, one of China’s biggest sporting stars, early this month publicly accused a former Chinese vice-premier of forcing her into sex several years ago — and has not been seen since.
According to a screenshot of her verified Weibo account, Peng said that Zhang Gaoli, who was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee — China’s top decision-making body — coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. It was the first time such a high-ranking Chinese politician has been publicly accused of sexual assault.
The post was deleted around half an hour after it was published, although searches for Peng’s name on China’s tightly controlled internet surged after the posting and screenshots were shared among private WeChat groups and over iMessage.
China’s internet is heavily censored and the private lives of top leaders are an especially sensitive subject.
While Peng’s Weibo account remained available, with earlier posts visible, the comment and repost functions were disabled.
Concerns have grown among the global tennis community for Peng, the first Chinese player to top the world rankings when she was doubles No. 1 in 2014. She and her partners won the Wimbledon womens’ doubles in 2013 and the French Open title in 2014.
In a rare step, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on Sunday entered the fray when it called on China to investigate the allegations of sexual assault and demanded an end to censorship of the former player.
But more pointedly, it also said it would seek a “full, fair and transparent investigation into sexual assault allegations” against the former Chinese leader.
“The recent events in China concerning a WTA player, Peng Shuai, are of deep concern,” said WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon.
“Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored.”
Former tennis world champ and currently a television analyst, Chris Evert, spoke up as well:
Peng, 35, said in the post that she could provide no evidence to back her allegations.
Zhang, now 75, was a vice-premier between 2013 and 2018 and had also been party secretary of the northeastern province of Shandong. He served on the Politburo Standing Committee — China’s top decision-making body — between 2012 and 2017.
Simon told the New York Times on Sunday that it was possible the tour would consider no longer doing business in China, where the WTA has 11 tournaments and a lucrative, long-term deal to hold its tour finals in Shenzhen.
“If at the end of the day, we don’t see the appropriate results from this,” he said, “we would be prepared to take that step and not operate our business in China if that’s what it came to.”
Peng has not made any public statements since the post was removed, nor have Chinese officials, but Simon told the New York Times that “we’ve received confirmation from several sources, including the Chinese Tennis Association, that she is safe and not under any physical threat.”
But he added that no one associated with the WTA, be it officials or active players, had been able to reach her directly.
“My understanding is that she is in Beijing in China, but I can’t confirm that because I haven’t spoken directly with her,” Simon said.
One of France’s top male singles and doubles tennis players, Nicolas Mahut, also tweeted in support:
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of men’s tennis, on Monday backed the WTA call for China to investigate Peng’s allegations.
“There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our tennis community,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement .
“We are encouraged by the recent assurances received by WTA that (Peng) is safe and accounted for and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
“Separately, we stand in full support of WTA’s call for a full, fair and transparent investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Peng Shuai.”
Peng has not competed on tour since February 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic shut it down for several months.
— with additional reporting by National Post staff
nationalpost.com
Former world No.1 women's doubles tennis player Peng Shuai has not made any public statements since her accusation
Author of the article:
Reuters
Publishing date:
Nov 15, 2021 • November 15, 2021 • 3 minute read • 8 Comments
Former world No.1 women’s doubles tennis player Peng Shuai, one of China’s biggest sporting stars, early this month publicly accused a former Chinese vice-premier of forcing her into sex several years ago — and has not been seen since.
According to a screenshot of her verified Weibo account, Peng said that Zhang Gaoli, who was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee — China’s top decision-making body — coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. It was the first time such a high-ranking Chinese politician has been publicly accused of sexual assault.
The post was deleted around half an hour after it was published, although searches for Peng’s name on China’s tightly controlled internet surged after the posting and screenshots were shared among private WeChat groups and over iMessage.
China’s internet is heavily censored and the private lives of top leaders are an especially sensitive subject.
While Peng’s Weibo account remained available, with earlier posts visible, the comment and repost functions were disabled.
Concerns have grown among the global tennis community for Peng, the first Chinese player to top the world rankings when she was doubles No. 1 in 2014. She and her partners won the Wimbledon womens’ doubles in 2013 and the French Open title in 2014.
In a rare step, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on Sunday entered the fray when it called on China to investigate the allegations of sexual assault and demanded an end to censorship of the former player.
But more pointedly, it also said it would seek a “full, fair and transparent investigation into sexual assault allegations” against the former Chinese leader.
“The recent events in China concerning a WTA player, Peng Shuai, are of deep concern,” said WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon.
“Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored.”
Former tennis world champ and currently a television analyst, Chris Evert, spoke up as well:
Peng, 35, said in the post that she could provide no evidence to back her allegations.
Zhang, now 75, was a vice-premier between 2013 and 2018 and had also been party secretary of the northeastern province of Shandong. He served on the Politburo Standing Committee — China’s top decision-making body — between 2012 and 2017.
Simon told the New York Times on Sunday that it was possible the tour would consider no longer doing business in China, where the WTA has 11 tournaments and a lucrative, long-term deal to hold its tour finals in Shenzhen.
“If at the end of the day, we don’t see the appropriate results from this,” he said, “we would be prepared to take that step and not operate our business in China if that’s what it came to.”
Peng has not made any public statements since the post was removed, nor have Chinese officials, but Simon told the New York Times that “we’ve received confirmation from several sources, including the Chinese Tennis Association, that she is safe and not under any physical threat.”
But he added that no one associated with the WTA, be it officials or active players, had been able to reach her directly.
“My understanding is that she is in Beijing in China, but I can’t confirm that because I haven’t spoken directly with her,” Simon said.
One of France’s top male singles and doubles tennis players, Nicolas Mahut, also tweeted in support:
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of men’s tennis, on Monday backed the WTA call for China to investigate Peng’s allegations.
“There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our tennis community,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement .
“We are encouraged by the recent assurances received by WTA that (Peng) is safe and accounted for and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
“Separately, we stand in full support of WTA’s call for a full, fair and transparent investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Peng Shuai.”
Peng has not competed on tour since February 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic shut it down for several months.
— with additional reporting by National Post staff
'Where is she?' Chinese tennis player who accused politician of rape seems to have disappeared
Former world No.1 women's doubles tennis player Peng Shuai has not made any public statements since her accusation
