'I have never claimed, or written about anyone having sexually assaulted me' - Peng Shuai denies Zhang Gaoli claim
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ByEurosport
Updated 20/12/2021 at 08:37 GMT
“I wanted to make this very clear: I have never claimed, or written about anyone having sexually assaulted me,” Peng said in an interview with Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao. “With regards to Weibo, it’s about my personal privacy ... There’s been a lot of misunderstanding … There [should be] no distorted interpretation.”
Peng Shuai
Image credit: Getty Images
Peng Shuai has denied accusing a former leading Chinese politician of sexually assaulting her.
At the start of November, an essay on Peng's page on Chinese social media site Weibo accused Zhang Gaoli, the former senior Vice Premier of the State Council, of sexual assault.
The post was deleted within 30 minutes, and Peng became the centre of a media storm as she disappeared from public view and leading stars such as Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka demanded to know her whereabouts.
As the controversy gathered pace, Peng sent an email to WTA chief Steve Simon where she denied the sexual assault claim, and said she was safe and well.
Simon had said at the time that he “had a hard time believing” Peng had actually written the email.
Peng has now given an interview to Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao, a Chinese-language publication under the state-controlled Singapore Press Holdings Limited.
“I wanted to make this very clear: I have never claimed, or written about anyone having sexually assaulted me,” Peng said. “With regards to Weibo, it’s about my personal privacy ... There’s been a lot of misunderstanding … There [should be] no distorted interpretation.”
The WTA have responded to Peng's comments on Sunday, saying their concerns about her wellbeing have not been addressed.
The statement read: "It was again good to see Peng Shuai in a public setting and we certainly hope she is doing well.
"As we have consistently stated, these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA’s significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion.
“We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern."
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