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The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has said it remains “deeply concerned” about Chinese tennis star Peng Shua for weeks after she disappeared following allegations against a high-ranking former Chinese politician.
In an email statement issued on Saturday, the WTA said its CEO Steve Simon had tried to contact Peng through “various communication channels,” including two emails. It said it was concerned about his well-being and ability to communicate freely and that others were “clearly” influenced by his responses.
A spokesman said Simon “remains deeply concerned that Peng is not free from censorship or coercion and [he] decided not to re-engage by email until he was convinced that the woman’s responses were his own and not the censors’ responses. “
“The WTA remains concerned about his ability to communicate freely, openly and directly,” they added.
Peng, a former number one in the world of women’s doubles and one of China’s highest sports stars, disappeared from publicity when she accused former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaol of forcing him to have sex at home in 2018.
His claims on the Chinese Weibo social network were quickly removed, and the 35-year-old was not seen in public for more than two weeks. It provokes a campaign on social media with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai, and is the first time the Chinese # MeToo movement has touched high sections of the ruling Communist Party.
Simon has threatened to pull the WTA out of China unless he is given evidence that he is safe. Next year, the country will host 10 WTA events, including the Wuhan Open and WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
When Peng had not been seen for weeks, he participated in a video call on November 21 with Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, and a representative of the Chinese Sports Authority and the IOC.
The IOC’s statement said Peng appeared to be “well off” and that he “would like his privacy to be respected.” It did not explain how the call was arranged.
Two days later, the Human Rights Watch criticized the IOC for cooperating with the Chinese authorities.
Its Chinese leader Sophie Richardson said: “It is quite a magnitude to see in Thomas Bach’s photograph, where a woman, Peng Shuai, under intense pressure, can reasonably assume from other cases that her allegations of sexual violence instead of doing everything in her and organizational power to obtain it and to ensure that he is offered any support, investigation or prosecution that may be justified. “
Beijing is scheduled to host the Winter Olympics starting in February.
Zhang, now 70, had served as head of a working group for the Beijing Games government before he retired as deputy prime minister. He was described as meeting Bach at a meeting in the Chinese capital in 2016, but has largely faded from public life since retiring in 2018.
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