Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has reappeared in public at a tournament in Beijing, nearly three weeks after accusing a former senior Chinese government official of sexual assault.
Peng, who has won more than 20 doubles and two singles events, was seen standing near a court waving and signing oversized commemorative tennis balls for children, as the photos posted by the China Open from the same event on its Weibo account showed on Sunday.
The 35-year-old athlete has not been seen in public since she accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault on social media on Nov. 2. The post was quickly deleted, and the Chinese tennis star disappeared from the public.
Zhang, 75, served as one of the seven members of the most powerful body of the Chinese Communist Party. He retired in 2018.
The alleged incident dates back to three years ago.
On Sunday night, Peng told Olympic officials that “she is safe and well”.
Peng spoke to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, IOC Athletes’ Commission chair Emma Terho, and IOC Member in China Li Lingwei in a video call from Beijing, the Switzerland-based Olympic body said in a statement.
In a 30-minute video call, Peng “explained that she is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time,” read the IOC statement.
“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,” it added.
Terho said she was “relieved to see that Peng Shuai was doing fine, which was our main concern.”
“She appeared to be relaxed. I offered her our support and to stay in touch at any time of her convenience, which she obviously appreciated,” the official was quoted as saying.
Bach invited Peng “for a dinner once he arrives in Beijing next January, which she gladly accepted, and the two agreed to include Emma Terho and Li Lingwei,” the statement added.
Source: Philippines News Agency
