WTA say Peng Shuai’s call with Olympic chief is not enough
Peng Shuai’s disappearance has prompted WTA threats to pull out of China. (Facebook pic/Tennis Europe)
SHANGHAI: Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not address or alleviate the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) concern about her well-being, the WTA said on Monday.
The whereabouts of former doubles world No 1 Peng have been a matter of international concern for nearly three weeks after she alleged that a former senior Chinese government official sexually assaulted her.
She appeared at a dinner with friends on Saturday and a children’s tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, photos and videos published by Chinese state media journalists and by the tournament’s organisers show. But they have done little to quell concerns.
“It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don’t alleviate or address the WTA’s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion,” a WTA spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
Asked about the call with the IOC, the spokeswoman said: “This video does not change 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.”
The IOC said in a statement that Peng held a 30-minute call with their president Thomas Bach on Sunday and thanked the Olympic organisation for its concern.
“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,” the IOC’s statement said.
“That is why she prefers to spend her time with friends and family right now. Nevertheless, she will continue to be involved in tennis, the sport she loves so much.”
The concern over Peng comes as global rights groups and others have called for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February over China’s human rights record. The WTA have also threatened to pull tournaments out of China over the matter.
On Nov 2, Peng posted on Chinese social media that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. The post was quickly deleted and the topic has been blocked from discussion on China’s heavily censored internet.
Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government has commented on Peng’s allegations.
France’s foreign minister called on Sunday for Chinese authorities to let Peng speak publicly.
“I’m expecting only one thing: that she speaks,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television, adding that there could be unspecified diplomatic consequences if China did not clear up the situation. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the IOC’s statement.
The US and Britain have also called for China to provide proof of Peng’s whereabouts.
Current and former tennis players, including Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King, joined the calls seeking to confirm she was safe, using the social media hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai?
Men’s singles world No 1 Novak Djokovic said it would be strange to hold tournaments in China unless the “horrific” situation was resolved.
SHANGHAI: Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not address or alleviate the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) concern about her well-being, the WTA said on Monday.
The whereabouts of former doubles world No 1 Peng have been a matter of international concern for nearly three weeks after she alleged that a former senior Chinese government official sexually assaulted her.
She appeared at a dinner with friends on Saturday and a children’s tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, photos and videos published by Chinese state media journalists and by the tournament’s organisers show. But they have done little to quell concerns.
“It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don’t alleviate or address the WTA’s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion,” a WTA spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
Asked about the call with the IOC, the spokeswoman said: “This video does not change 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.”
The IOC said in a statement that Peng held a 30-minute call with their president Thomas Bach on Sunday and thanked the Olympic organisation for its concern.
“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,” the IOC’s statement said.
“That is why she prefers to spend her time with friends and family right now. Nevertheless, she will continue to be involved in tennis, the sport she loves so much.”
The concern over Peng comes as global rights groups and others have called for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February over China’s human rights record. The WTA have also threatened to pull tournaments out of China over the matter.
On Nov 2, Peng posted on Chinese social media that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. The post was quickly deleted and the topic has been blocked from discussion on China’s heavily censored internet.
Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government has commented on Peng’s allegations.
France’s foreign minister called on Sunday for Chinese authorities to let Peng speak publicly.
“I’m expecting only one thing: that she speaks,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television, adding that there could be unspecified diplomatic consequences if China did not clear up the situation. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the IOC’s statement.
The US and Britain have also called for China to provide proof of Peng’s whereabouts.
Current and former tennis players, including Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Billie Jean King, joined the calls seeking to confirm she was safe, using the social media hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai?
Men’s singles world No 1 Novak Djokovic said it would be strange to hold tournaments in China unless the “horrific” situation was resolved.
We've seen it all in Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteCCP is much worse.
An ordinary person makes an allegation of serious impropriety against a powerful member of the Regime.
The person "disappears" , authorities investigate the accuser instead of the accused, and , later, too often , the accuser recants, "it didn't happen " or "it's just a minor misunderstanding ".
Podah !
Podah to u too!
DeleteWhere do u get that opinion of
The person "disappears" , authorities investigate the accuser instead of the accused, and , later, too often , the accuser recants, "it didn't happen " or "it's just a minor misunderstanding "
Oooop… in yr wettest wet dream!
"WTA’s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion,”
So only with wta's agreed fart then the censorship &/or coercion tags can be removed.
Who the f*ck r WTA - itself an organisation fills to the brink with 'private adult consenting sextual' activities?
Ooop… only they can do it bcoz they r demoNcratically based!
"allegation of sexual assault"!!!
To those residents of Tianjin, where peng was originated, almost everyone knew about peng's 'golddigging' affair. Peng's mum was so famously knew for her threatening outbursts to anyone, civilians &/or public, who had displeased her with utmost punishment with her daughter's 'connection' with that top CPC official! She only went silenced when peng openly apologized for her mum's outraged performances in social media during her high in the early 2000 when that '小三' affair was going round Tianjin.
Mmm… wondering why peng didn't claim she was forced, coerce into that affair then?
BTW, in peng's original social media write-up, there were NO such sexual assault! She just voiced her frustration in an affair that she hadn't been treated right!
The western media go to town with twisted & tambah tomato sauce to sensationalize an individual private affair!
Mfers, who don't read Chinese social media, come along with their f*cked imaginations, based on their anmokausai indoctrination about thingies China, to spread the lies.
Mmmm…
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to that c&p blurred mfer who first posted this western sensationalized fart?
Another one bite the dust!
Wakakakakaka…
Karma? Nay!
KT, a side issue that I hope u can blog about.
ReplyDeleteCurrently there r high number of cases of complaints of adverse side-effects happened to many elderlies in m'sia.
Many r suffering chronic headaches, neck lumps, limp aches after taken the 3rd booster dose of Pfizer covid vaccine. All of them were full course sinovax vaccine before the 3rd booster jab.
These incidences happened after 10 to 12 days of the inoculation. Many of the sufferers r still facing the side effects till NOW!
Some have even passed away within days of the 3rd booster dose inoculation!
These r TRUE cases!
I have done an extensive web search & can only find isolating cases (mild, serious & deaths) happened in all those countries currently practicing full course sinovax mixed with 3rd Pfizer booster dose!
There must be something missing here in m'sia.
I'm not encouraging anti-vaccine but the happened cases DON'T fit well with the statistical models I have compiled - with gathered verifiable cases!
can't promise but will definitely look into it - and my post will require (be dependant upon) info from the web, media etc
DeleteFrom the investigations I have had done, u WON'T find much public info!
DeleteI have managed to hacked into the health ministry's covid database to tabulate my statistical models.
The findings warrant GREAT m'sia public outcries!
The health ministry has 'crime' to answer.