In an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe on Sunday, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai stated that she never accused anyone of sexual assault, contrary to her social media post.
“In the text we could see in Europe, you accused someone of sexual assault. What did you really write? We don’t understand,” the paper asked Peng. “Sexual assault? I never said anyone had sexually assaulted me in any way,” Peng responded, without elaborating. She further added that her post had “given rise to a huge misunderstanding” internationally. “I hope that the meaning of this post will no longer be distorted. And I also hope that we don’t add more hype to this,” she stated.
Moreover, the 36-year old announced her retirement from the sport. “Considering my age, my multiple surgeries and the pandemic that forced me to stop for so long, I believe it will be very difficult to regain my physical level,” she reasoned.
The French newspaper had sought permission to hold the interview from the Chinese Olympic Committee, whose chief of staff Wang Kan was also present in the hotel room meeting to act as translator. The paper was required to submit questions ahead of the interview and said that it was able to ask additional questions on the day.
Peng Shuai just gave an in-person interview to French sports magazine L'Équipe, her first such interview to foreign media since the #WhereIsPengShuai conspiracy theory broke out.
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) February 7, 2022
Firstly, to state the obvious, she is there ⬇️ If anything, that should settle that...
Small 🧵 pic.twitter.com/4poLJjRPEU
In addition, the tennis star also had dinner with Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday, on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. “We had dinner together on Saturday and we had a nice discussion and exchange. He asked me whether I am considering competing again, what my projects are, what I’m planning to do, and so on,” she said of the meeting.
The former doubles world number one had disappeared from the public eye for almost three weeks after making sexual assault accusations against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on November 2. In a post taken down minutes later on Chinese social media platform Weibo, the athlete alleged that she was forced into sexual relations with Zhang three years ago.
It was the first time such a claim had been made against one of China’s political elite and is one of the most high-profile cases in China’s #MeToo movement. Since Peng’s public post, China’s highly censored internet has blocked the topic from online discussion and it is no longer possible to search Peng Shuai or her account on Weibo. Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government has commented on her claim.
Peng's prolonged absence from public life following her remarks against the senior Chinese minister sparked concern and caused a widespread public outcry.
Addressing the international concern, Peng told the newspaper that she “never disappeared.” “It’s just that many people, like my friends or people from the IOC messaged me, and it was simply impossible to answer so many messages. But I’ve been always in close contact with my close friends. I talked to them, I answered their emails, I also talked with the WTA,” she said, referring to the Women’s Tennis Association.