Peng Shuai’s appearance does not match his concern for his well-being, says WTA | Peng Shuai

The Women’s Tennis Association has reiterated its call to investigate Peng Shua’s well-being, saying the Chinese star’s public appearance on Sunday still didn’t allay its concerns about her well-being.

On Sunday, Peng said the message he had sent to Weibo, a platform like Twitter in China, in early November accusing former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaol of sexual harassment was “misunderstood.”

“First, I need to emphasize one extremely important point: I have never said or written that someone had sexually assaulted me, I need to emphasize this point clearly,” Peng said during a ski night in Shanghai. the video was sent by Singaporean Lianhe Zaobao. The statement was the first time a player had spoken publicly about his previous accusations in person.

The 35-year-old also said he has not been observed or observed. “I’ve always been very free,” he told the reporter. He added that the message was a “private matter” and that “people have many misunderstandings” about it, but did not specify. He did not mention Zhang, who has not commented on the matter.

In a statement issued Monday, the WTA said: “We stand firmly in demanding a full, fair and open investigation without censorship of his allegations of sexual violence, which caused our initial concern.”

Peng disappeared from public life for nearly three months after Weibo’s posting, raising international concerns about his well-being. China has not officially commented on Peng’s original message, which was cleaned of China’s heavily censored internet within half an hour. His later silence triggered a social media campaign with the hashtag #WhereisPengShuai.

Sunday’s video also showed that Peng said he had personally written a message to WTA director Steve Simon last month denying all allegations of assault and that the English translation of the message published by the Chinese state media was correct.

At the time the email was sent, Simon said he “had a hard time believing” that Peng had written it. Screenshots of Peng’s message on social media sparked skepticism as the observer drew attention to the text cursor in the center of the email.

This month, the WTA announced it would suspend all Chinese tournaments for the safety of Peng and its players. China has become the WTA’s largest market in recent years, but has not hosted events for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was good to see Peng Shuai in public again and we really hope he is doing well,” the WTA said on Monday. “As we have consistently stated, these appearances do not alleviate or remove the WTA’s significant concerns about his or her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion.”

Peng’s latest statement did not allay international human rights organizations ’concerns about his well-being. “Wow, so natural, very real, now everyone believes it. Congratulations, CCP [Chinese Communist party]! ”Yaqiu Wang, a Chinese researcher at Human Rights Watch, tweeted sarcastically.

Zhang, 75, was a member of the Standing Committee of the Party’s Almighty Politburo until 2018 and a senior lieutenant in President and Party Leader Xi Jinping. He has not appeared in public or commented on Peng’s accusation.

The controversy surrounding Peng has sparked protests against Beijing hosting the Winter Olympics in February. The International Olympic Committee has had two calls with Peng, but has not published material. IOC officials have said their conversations with Peng have reassured them of his well-being.