English
Florida: The head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) – has questioned the authenticity of an email published by China’s state media attributed to Tennis player Peng Shuai, who has not been seen or heard in public since making sexual assault allegation against a top former Communist Party of China (CPC) official. In the email obtained by WTA, Shuai claimed she was “resting at home” and that an allegation of sexual assault was “not true”. WTA chief and CEO – Steve Simon said the email, which was shared on state media on Wednesday and sent to the WTA, has increased his concern for the player.
The email, shared by state broadcaster CGTN without a date or signature. “Hello, everyone this is Peng Shuai. Regarding the recent news released on the official website of the WTA, the content has not been confirmed or verified by myself and it was released without my consent,” the email says.
“The news in that release, including the allegation of sexual assault, is not true. I’m, not missing, nor am I unsafe. I’ve just been resting at home and everything is fine. Thank you again for caring about me. If the WTA publishes any more news about me, please verify it with me, and release it with my consent.
Meanwhile, WTA chief said the email, which was shared on state media on Wednesday and sent to the WTA, has increased his concern for the player.
. #WhereIsPengShuai pic.twitter.com/51qcyDtzLq
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) November 16, 2021
“The statement released today by Chinese state media concerning Peng Shuai only raises my concerns as to her safety and whereabouts. I have a hard time believing that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or believes what is attributed to her,” Simon said in a statement.
Simon said he had repeatedly tried to reach Peng, a former top-ranked doubles player who won titles at Wimbledon and the French Open, through “numerous forms of communication” but had not been successful.
“Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely without coercion or intimidation from any source,” he said in the statement. “Her allegation of sexual assault must be respected, investigated with full transparency and without censorship. The voices of women need to be heard and respected, not censored nor dictated to.”
Earlier, this month – Peng Shuai displayed incredible courage in describing an allegation of sexual assault against former vice-president – Zhang Gaoli. She revealed in a lengthy social media post earlier this month that a former top former CPC official had forced her to have sex with him despite repeated refusals.
The post was removed from her verified account on Weibo, a leading Chinese social media platform, and China’s state-controlled media have suppressed all reporting on the case.
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