New video of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai released on Saturday is insufficient to allay concerns about her health and safety, the head of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said.
Peng, who is one of China's most recognizable sports stars, had accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of at his home, according to screenshots of a since-deleted social media post dated November 2. But there has been no verifiable direct communication with Peng since that time.
One of the video clips, only 45 seconds long, appears to show Peng sitting with China Open tournament co-director Zhang Junhui along with two women around a table in a restaurant in Beijing.At some point, according to CNN translation, Zhang said,"Yes, this year is different from last year, because of the pandemic. Originally, we planned to have 10 tours in three months, isn't tomorrow November 20? We have long planned...
Another man, under the name Ding Li, also tweeted the same video and several new photos of Peng with him and others. He wrote,"Peng Shuai is with me. We're at this restaurant in Beijing that's gone viral online, just finished dinner." Amid the global outcry, Chinese state media's Twitter accounts, with Hu's being among the most active, have been increasingly posting anonymously sourced information about the tennis star, ostensibly aimed at quelling the controversy without acknowledging her claim against Zhang.
Simon, the WTA chief, said on Friday he is willing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business in China if Peng is not fully accounted for and her allegations are not properly investigated. When asked about the email, Simon questioned its veracity, describing it as a"staged statement of some type," noting he had yet to receive a follow-up reply, despite responding immediately.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
WTA threatens to pull tournaments out of China over PengAn outcry over the whereabouts of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai escalated on Friday as the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said it was prepared to pull its tournaments out of China if they were not satisfied with the response to her sexual assault allegation.
Read more »
Djokovic backs WTA threat to cut ties with ChinaNovak Djokovic said that he backed the WTA's threat to cut lucrative business ties with China if tennis star Peng Shuai remains unaccounted for.
Read more »
UN wants proof of missing Chinese tennis star's well-beingThe United Nations said on Friday it wants proof of the whereabouts of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, missing ever since she made sexual assault allegations against a former vice-premier.
Read more »
Djokovic backs WTA threat to cut ties with ChinaNovak Djokovic said that he backed the WTA's threat to cut lucrative business ties with China if tennis star Peng Shuai remains unaccounted for.
Read more »
US, UN seek proof of missing China tennis star's well-beingThe US and UN on Friday demanded proof of Peng Shuai's whereabouts and well-being amid rising concern for the missing tennis star.
Read more »
OPINION: What Peng Shuai's disappearance means for upcoming Beijing OlympicsChinese tennis star Peng Shuai has not been seen in public since she used Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, to accuse former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual misconduct. Her post has been deleted, and the 35-year-old doubles champion all but disappeared from Chinese online media.
Read more »