China tennis star Peng denies making sexual assault accusation | Sports activities Information

Shuai Peng appeared to allege {that a} former Chinese language vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her up to now.

Chinese language tennis star Peng Shuai has claimed she had by no means accused anybody of sexually assaulting her and a social media put up she had made in November had been misunderstood.

Peng’s wellbeing turned a matter of concern among the many world tennis neighborhood and rights teams when she appeared to allege {that a} former Chinese language vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her up to now.

After that put up, she was absent from public view for almost three weeks.

“First, I must stress one level that’s extraordinarily vital, I’ve by no means stated or written that anybody has sexually assaulted me, I’ve to obviously stress this level,” Peng stated within the video posted by Lianhe Zaobao, a Singapore media outlet.

Peng Shuai stated she had been dwelling at house in Beijing with out supervision [File: Wang He/Getty Images]

Peng’s remarks on Sunday marked the primary time she had addressed the matter on digital camera in public.

She spoke on the sidelines of a cross-country snowboarding occasion in Shanghai that she attended

‘Personal matter’

Peng stated that her put up on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media website, which had been rapidly eliminated, was a “non-public matter”.

The 35-year-old stated within the video that “folks have many misunderstandings” about her Weibo put up, with out elaborating.

She additionally stated that she had been dwelling at house in Beijing with out supervision.

Early this month, the Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation (WTA), which has sought a direct line of communication with Peng, stated it might droop tournaments in China instantly attributable to issues over the therapy of Peng and the security of different gamers.

China has indirectly commented on Peng’s preliminary put up, however stated after the WTA’s transfer to droop tournaments in China that it “opposes the politicisation of sports activities”.

Zhang has not commented on the matter.

Dialogue of the scandal, which emerged as Beijing prepares to stage the Winter Olympics in February, has been closely censored in China.

Peng stated within the video posted on Sunday that she had personally written a letter final month to WTA head Steve Simon, through which she denied the allegation of assault, and that an English translation of it by Chinese language state media was correct.

Simon had stated on the time that he “had a tough time believing” that Peng had really written the e-mail or believed what had been attributed to her.

The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) has held two video calls with the 35-year-old Peng.