Case Peng, World Tennis Federation does not suspend tournaments
The Chinese government attacks: "The case of tennis player Peng Shuai is artfully mounted"
Share
19 December 2021 Peng Shuai denies everything: after the accusations against the former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her to have sex and the doubts of the international press about her allegedly ordered kidnapping of Chinese institutions, the tennis champion - for weeks in the eye of the storm - has stated that she had never accused anyone of sexually assaulting her and that the social media post she had published in recent weeks "was misunderstood". This was reported by the Reuters agency. "I have to emphasize one point that is extremely important: I have never said or written that anyone has sexually assaulted me, I have to make this point clearly," said Peng. It is the first time that the champion has addressed the issue in front of the cameras and in public.
After the controversy of the past few weeks and some brief public appearances, the tennis player has returned to be seen: the Chinese media have released a video where Pen is intent on talking to former basketball player Yao Ming and two other Chinese sports stars: the sailor Xu Likia and former table tennis player Wang Liqin.
Waiting for more incisive reassurances and the meeting with IOC president Thomas Bach - which will take place in January - Peng Shuai has therefore returned to be seen in public for a few days. For a couple of months there has been a lot of talk about her case, assuming that she had disappeared from circulation after the accusations against the former Chinese deputy prime minister.
The WTA - Women's Tennis Association - has long called for a transparent investigation into Peng Shuai's allegations and in protest it had canceled all the tournaments on the circuit scheduled in China from the 2022 calendar, then reverted to the decision.