Concerns remain for Peng Shuai after the two-time doubles Grand Slam champion was presumed ‘missing’ after accusing China’s former vice premier of sexual assault on November 2. While she has been seen in public since, the WTA chief has continued to condemn the “censorship” of the tennis star and says he remains “deeply concerned” over her whereabouts and ability to communicate freely.
On November 2, Peng took to Weibo – the China Facebook equivalent – to accuse the country’s former vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual abuse in a lengthy post, also detailing a consensual on-off affair with the now-retired politician, dating back to 2011.
The post was removed within half an hour, while Zhang has not responded to the claims, though a spokesperson for Beijing’s foreign ministry denied all knowledge of the allegations when asked about the subject, saying: “I have not heard of it and it is not a diplomatic question.”
The former doubles world No 1 had not been seen or heard from for almost three weeks after sharing the post, but Chinese state media has since shared photos and videos of Peng they claim are recent, and on Sunday November 21 she appeared at a Chinese youth tennis tournament before speaking with Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee via video call.
In a statement released on November 21 following the video call, the IOC wrote: “At the beginning of the 30-minute call, Peng Shuai thanked the IOC for its concern about her well-being. She explained that she is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time.
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