Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied having made allegations of sexual assault against a Communist official.
After taking to Chinese social media site Weibo to accuse former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her in his home, Peng was not seen in public for a series of weeks, leading to other tennis players such as Serena Williams and Andy Murray to urge the public to help find her.
Concerns for the star grew after China's censors removed the original post, however photographs of Peng were shared by the editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times that appeared to confirm the 36-year-old's safety.
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In her first official interview since she made the accusations, Peng has now claimed that it is all 'an enormous misunderstanding', and said that she 'never said anyone had sexually assaulted me in any way'.
Peng's allegations led to widespread concern about her safety and questions about the censorship of her allegations by China.
As a result of the social media post, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) even suspended tournaments in China, The Independent reports.
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However, according to French outlet L’Equipe, who recently interviewed the star, Peng has questioned why people were so worried about her.
She said, 'Firstly, I’d like to thank all of the many ATP and WTA players, sportspeople and leading figures who were worried about me. I never thought there’d be such worry, though, and I’d like to know, why was that the case?'
Peng went on to call the incident 'a huge misunderstanding in the outside world following this post'.
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'I don’t want the meaning of this post to be twisted anymore. And I don’t want any further media hype around it. Sexual assault? I never said anyone had sexually assaulted me in any way,' she stated.
Moreover, the tennis star claims that she didn't disappear, and that 'everyone could see' her.
She said, '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.'
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Peng clarified that she 'talked' to her friends and 'answered their emails' and also 'talked with the WTA' during the time she was supposedly missing.
'But at the end of the year, the communication IT system of their website was changed and many players had difficulties logging in. But my colleagues and I always stayed in touch. That’s why I don’t know why the news I had disappeared spread,' she said.
Since November 2, when she made the allegations, Peng reflected that her life has simply been 'nothing special' and 'what it's supposed to be'.
As per Reuters, Peng allegedly attended a dinner on Saturday, February 5, in Beijing for the Winter Olympics with President Thomas Bach, according to a source from the International Olympics Committee.
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Later today, Monday, February 7, the International Olympics Committee is set to release a statement on Peng.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org
Topics: China
Poppy Bilderbeck