Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai appeared at the Beijing tennis tournament on Sunday after increasing international pressure for information about her well-being, according to photos from the official event.
According to photos published on the China Open’s official Weibo account, Peng can be seen donning a navy sports jacket and white trackpants at the Fila Kids Junior Tennis Challenger Finals. Chinese Internet.
pengshui@wta @atptour @cilic_marin @DjokerNole @US Open @wimbledon @Andy Murray pic.twitter.com/e1e4lF2f41
— (@li_ding1) November 20, 2021
The two-time Grand Slam doubles champion was not seen in public earlier this month, alleging that former deputy prime minister Zhang Gaoli, now in her 70s, had molested her during a relationship that lasted several years. “Forced” to have sex.
Following global outrage, including tennis superstars and the United Nations, Chinese state media journalists have flooded the footage to show that all is well with Peng.
A video of the event, tweeted by Global Times newspaper editor Hu Zijin, shows Peng standing among a group of guests at the stadium, whose names are announced to thunderous applause.
A Global Times reporter tweeted another video, in which Peng is seen signing autographs for the children at the same stadium before being photographed with them.
Hu also posted two other videos on Saturday, the first of which showed Peng walking into a restaurant wearing a coat, knit cap and face mask.
Just a short walk from Tiananmen Square, owned by the Sichuan local government, is a well-known restaurant called Beijing Yibin Guesthouse.
In another, Peng is sitting at a table chatting with people over a meal.
AFP could not confirm the authenticity of the video.
Hu tweeted in English that the second video shows “Peng Shuai having dinner with her coach and friends at a restaurant. The video content clearly shows she was shot on Saturday Beijing time.”
The conversation revolved around “tennis matches”. A man sitting with Peng and the two women said, “Tomorrow is November 20th”.
But one of the women immediately corrected her, saying, “It’s the 21st”, implying that the video was filmed on Saturday.
The chat appears to have been staged. It was filmed on a mobile phone in the evening. Peng is seen at ease in the footage.
Peng’s claims against Zhang are the first time China’s #MeToo movement has touched the highest echelons of the ruling Communist Party.
They were quickly removed from Weibo platforms such as Twitter, and concerns have grown for their safety since then.
In the restaurant’s video, Women’s Tennis Association boss Steve Simon said he was pleased to see the images but “it is not clear whether she is independent and able to make decisions and take actions on her own, without coercion or externalities.” of interference.”
“This video alone is not enough,” Simon said in a statement.
“I am clear about what needs to happen and our relationship with China is at a crossroads.”
The WTA has threatened to terminate lucrative contracts with China unless it receives a word about Peng’s security.
What Chinese state-media journalists have said is proof that all is well.
First, state-run CGTN tweeted a screenshot last week that it said was an email from Peng to the WTA saying his allegations were not true and that “everything is fine”.
But doubts were raised about the strange language and a cursor seen in the screenshot.
Then pictures of Peng smiling surfaced on Friday on the Twitter account @shen_shiwei verified by the social network labeled Chinese state-affiliated media.
The images’ authenticity could not be verified, and the user did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.
This was followed by videos posted on Saturday and Sunday.
The Chinese government has repeatedly declined to comment on the matter.
The discussion of Peng’s allegations on China’s tightly controlled internet is closed.
‘Independent, verifiable evidence’
A growing group of voices in the sports world and beyond want to know where and how Peng is.
The White House has expressed “deep concern” about Peng, with President Joe Biden’s press secretary saying his administration wanted China to provide “independent, verifiable evidence” of his whereabouts.
Britain’s Foreign Office also said it was “extremely concerned” and urged verifiable evidence from China.
The United Nations has insisted on a completely transparent investigation into the claims made by Peng.
Some of tennis’ biggest names have spoken out about the case, including Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka.
Superstar Roger Federer also said on Sky News on Saturday: “He is one of our tennis champions, the former world number one. Clearly it is a matter of concern. I hope he is safe.”
Peng represented China at the Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro Olympics and won a gold medal for China at the 2010 Asian Games.
She is a former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion.