Updated:
For the first time in almost three weeks, the Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has apparently shown herself to a broader public again.
Beijing – According to official photos from the China Open, Peng participated in a tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday. The mysterious disappearance of Peng from the public caused a sensation internationally. Most recently, pressure on China to provide evidence of their whereabouts and safety has increased.
In the photos published in the official channel of the China Open on the online service Weibo, Peng can be seen in a dark blue sports jacket and white sweatpants at the final of a children’s tennis tournament.
Chinese state media representatives also released footage of the event, allegedly showing Peng. Global Times editor Hu Xijin released a video showing a group of stadium guests, their names being announced over the loudspeaker to thunderous applause. Among these guests is Peng. Another video shows Peng at an autograph session in the same stadium.
Hu had already published two videos of Peng on Saturday. She allegedly showed one of them at dinner with her trainer and two friends. It is clear that it was “recorded on Saturday Beijing time”. In fact, during the conversation, a man says, “Tomorrow is November 20th” – but is immediately corrected by a woman that it will be November 21st – and thus Sunday. The AFP news agency was unable to verify the authenticity of the videos. The entertainment seems staged, however.
Peng had not been seen in public after alleging high-ranking Communist Party official Zhang Gaoli on November 2 on the Weibo online service. The 35-year-old former double winner at Wimbledon and at the French Open accused the ex-Vice Prime Minister, who is now over 70 years old, of forcing her to have sex in the past. Peng and Zhang had had a relationship with many interruptions for years.
Peng’s allegations against Zhang were quickly removed from online services by the Chinese censorship authorities. Internationally, concerns about the safety of tennis players have recently become louder. After the US and France, the UK called on the Chinese government on Saturday to provide “verifiable evidence” of Peng’s “security and whereabouts”. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had made a similar statement.
International tennis stars such as Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic and most recently Roger Federer were also concerned about their fellow players. The head of the women’s tennis organization WTA, Steve Simon, had even threatened to end competitions in China if Peng’s well-being was not ensured.
Simon described the video of Peng’s dinner with her trainer and friends as “inadequate”. It is also unclear whether Peng is “free and able to make his own decisions and to act without coercion or outside interference,” he said. “I made it clear what needs to be done.” His association’s relations with China are at a “crossroads”.
The Chinese government has repeatedly refused to take a stand on the Peng case. Peng’s allegations against Zhang marked a turning point in the way people deal with sexual abuse by powerful men in China. The Me-Too movement had not yet reached the highest political level in the People’s Republic. Most Chinese are unlikely to have heard of Peng’s allegations. Internet users had taken screenshots of Peng’s corresponding Weibo contribution. But these were also deleted by the censorship authorities.
isd / gap
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