8:21 PM
The head of the women's professional tennis tour questioned the legitimacy of what Chinese state media said was a retraction by a Grand Slam doubles champion who has accused a former top government official of sexual assault.
Steve Simon, Chairman and CEO of the WTA, said Wednesday that a statement attributed to Peng Shuai and a message she wrote to him, which was sent to him by the international arm of Chinese state broadcasters, raised his concerns as to her safety and whereabouts.
A former No. 1-ranked player in women's doubles, Peng won titles at Wimbledon and the French Open in her last two tournaments.
She wrote in a lengthy social media post that a former vice premier and member of the Politburo Standing Committee forced her to have sex despite her repeated refusals.
The post was removed from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform, and the country's state-controlled media suppressed all reporting on the case.
Simon demanded a full investigation on Sunday and not to censor Peng. The concern about the case and the safety of Peng has been expressed by the Chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals and a four-time Grand Slam champion.
The statement attributed to Peng was made public on Wednesday.
The Communist Party uses many propaganda tools to sway foreign opinion. It has been reprimanded by the British TV Regulator Ofcom many times for airing forced confessions by a British businessman, a Hong Kong bookseller and an employee of the UK consulate in Hong Kong.
Simon said that he has a hard time believing that the email was written by Peng Shuai. "Peng Shuai displayed incredible courage in describing an allegation of sexual assault against a former top official in the Chinese government." The world needs independent proof that she is safe. I have tried many times to reach her, but no luck.
"Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely, without intimidation from any source," said Simon in his statement. Her allegation of sexual assault needs to be respected and investigated with full transparency. The voices of women need to be heard.
Three years ago, after a round of tennis, she was forced to have sex by Gaoli. She said that the door was guarded by the wife of the man.
They had sex seven years ago, and she had feelings for him after that.
The 75-year-old retired Chinese official, who is not known to have any professional or political connections to current leaders, dropped from public sight after his retirement.
At the U.S Open, she was a singles semifinalist and won 23 tour-level doubles titles. She hasn't competed on the tour since February of 2020 because of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Three Olympics were participated in by Peng. The IOC is in touch with the International Tennis Federation after seeing news reports about the upcoming Beijing Winter Games.
The accusation was the first against a prominent government official since the #MeToo movement took hold in China.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said he had no knowledge of the situation.
