Tennis player Peng Shuai: “It’s all a big misunderstanding”

Chinese tennis player Peng has again denied accusing a former deputy prime minister of sexual assault. She told a French newspaper. It is also unclear what pressure was exerted on her.

It was the 36-year-old tennis player’s first interview with a non-Chinese-speaking media outlet since the allegations became known in early November. It’s a “big misunderstanding,” according to Peng Shuai. She deleted the post on the Internet herself. In addition, she had never disappeared.

In the online service Weibo, Peng accused ex-vice prime minister Zhang Gaoli of having persuaded her to have sex. The post was deleted 30 minutes later – observers assume that Chinese internet censors are responsible.

Peng then disappeared from public view for several weeks. Abroad, many were concerned about the tennis player. Thousands of people on Twitter asked where she was using the hashtag #whereispengshuai.

Staged appearances to refute allegations?

The Chinese state and party leadership tried to refute the allegations with obviously staged public appearances by the 36-year-old.

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, was also criticized. After a video call between Bach and the tennis player in November, the IOC announced that Peng was fine.

Personal meeting with IOC boss Bach

Now on Saturday, Peng met Bach personally, the two are said to have had dinner in Beijing. The IOC announced that she wanted to travel to Europe if the pandemic situation permitted it. A visit to the IOC in Switzerland is also planned.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said they did not want to make an assessment of whether she voluntarily withdrew her allegations. “We as a sports organization are doing everything we can to ensure that she is happy and content. It’s not our job and it’s not your job to judge how her position is assessed.”

In the interview published today, the tennis player also said that her professional career is probably over. In view of her age, her knee problems and the corona pandemic, it is very difficult to imagine that she will reach her former level again.