WTA ‘not satisfied’ by China tennis star Peng Shuai’s sex claim denial
- Women’s Tennis Association says the former doubles champion’s media interview has not addressed its concerns about her well-being
- Peng says she is fine and there has been ‘a lot of misinterpretation’ from the public about ‘a private matter’
The WTA said in a statement it would continue to call for a “full, fair and transparent investigation – without censorship – into her allegation of sexual assault”.
Peng, 35, attended a cross-country skiing event on Sunday where she told a Singaporean newspaper she was fine and that her allegations of sexual abuse had been a “misinterpretation” of a private matter.
In addition to the video interview with a journalist from Lianhe Zaobao, she was also seen talking to Chinese basketball star Yao Ming.
The tennis star did not deny writing a post on social media platform Weibo in November, in which she made allegations of sexual misconduct against retired former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli, but said it was a private matter which had been misinterpreted by the public.
“I’ve never said or written that someone had sexually assaulted me. I want to strongly emphasise this point. About the Weibo [post], it’s a private matter. There seems to have been a lot of misinterpretation from the public,” she said in the interview.
The international community’s concern over Peng’s safety and her apparent silencing by the Chinese authorities following the allegation fuelled calls to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics. It also led the WTA to suspend its tournaments in mainland China and Hong Kong.
