Tennis athlete Peng Shuai on Sunday denied ever accusing anyone of sexually assaulting her in an "exclusive" interview with a Singapore media outlet called Lianhe Zaobao.
In a rare appearance, the athlete who had disappeared from public view following her early November sexual assault allegation has now backtracked to say that her earlier statements have been misunderstood.
"First, I need to stress one point that is extremely important, I have never said or written that anyone has sexually assaulted me, I have to clearly stress this point," Peng said in a video interview with the Singaporean outlet, as reported by Reuters. The Chinese athlete's remarks on Sunday was the first time she publicly spoke out about the issue.
In November, the 35 year old Chinese tennis athlete took to the social media platform Weibo to accuse former Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her. Following her post, Peng disappeared from public view for weeks, causing many in the Olympic community to raise concerns about her well-being.
According to Fox News, Peng's lengthy social media post detaield how Zhang forced her to have sex with him despite refusing multiple times after a tennis match three years ago. The Chinese athlete added that Zhang's wife guarded the door during the assault. The post was later taken down and China's state-controlled media appeared to hinder any reporting on the matter.
In her November post on Weibo, Peng lamented that "I have no proof, and it would be impossible for me to keep any evidence. You denied everything afterward...That afternoon I originally did not consent and cried the whole time."
But international pressure from the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and others in the global sporting field pushed Peng to make a handful of public appearances through the Beijing-backed news and propaganda agency The Global Times.
Peng said on Sunday that her post on Weibo was a "private matter," of which "people have many misunderstandings." She refused to elaborate on the issue but shared that she had been living in her home in Beijing without supervision.
The WTA earlier this month condemned the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) treatment of Peng, suspending tournaments in China as protest over the treatment of the Chinese athlete and the safety of other players. The organization also continues to call for an investigation into Peng's allegations.
The Florida-based sports organization released a statement in response to Peng's Sunday appearance, saying that "It was again good to see Peng Shuai in a public setting and we certainly hope she is doing well."
"As we have consistently stated, these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA's significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion," the WTA said. "We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern."
